Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle
by unfinishe
Summary: Book 3/3. Siblings have been ripped apart. While Tanglepath tries to unravel the mysteries of AmberClan, Silvertail is left to defend her kits, and her Clan, by herself. Posted Chapter 14/30
1. Allegiances and Prologue: Born Anew

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: It's here! The final book in the Circle of Life Trilogy! Finally, I might mention! I'm really excited to be posting this, since it's the last book and there are a ton of twists in this one that you probably weren't expecting. I can't wait to see how you guys react! I actually hadn't planned on posting this until I had it all written, but I'm over halfway done, so I don't think we'll have a problem. I'll be posting every Friday until the story's complete. Here's the allegiances and prologue. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Warriors and all related themes and characters belong to Erin Hunter. No copyright infringement was intended in the production of this story.**

**Summary: It's been moons since Tanglepath left his Clan for AmberClan, where he knew that he and his mate would be accepted and Silvertail found out she was pregnant. Now, the siblings are both faced with hardships as they find themselves without each other to lean on. Tanglepath must unravel the mysteries surrounding AmberClan's leader, Smallstar, and Silvertail must watch as her Clan falls apart because of LightningClan, while she is unable to help. With Clan boundaries in their way, will Tanglepath and Silvertail ever be able to help each other through these hard times? Or will tragedy push them apart for good?

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**Allegiances**

**NorthClan**

Leader: Stormstar – Very dark black tom with dark blue eyes that are almost black

Deputy: Stripefur – Gray tom with darker gray stripes

Medicine Cat: Lillypelt – Brown she-cat with light green eyes

Apprentice, Featherstorm

Warriors: Sunstripe – Yellowish tom with black stripes and amber eyes

Apprentices, Ravenpaw and Graypaw

Duskflame – Dark brown tabby she-cat with light green eyes

Emberheart – Yellowish she-cat with black stripes and green eyes

Moonshadow – Light gray tabby tom with light blue eyes

Shadowleaf – Smoky gray tom with a silvery sheen and topaz eyes

Apprentice, Poolpaw

Topazfur – Topaz gold tom with topaz eyes

Apprentice, Blackpaw

Twilightsky – Black tom with yellow eyes

Smokefoot – Dark gray tom with bright green eyes

Apprentice, Nightpaw

Mistypool – Light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Jewelfoot – Siamese she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices: Featherstorm – All white she-cat with soft blue eyes

Ravenpaw – Black tom with amber eyes

Poolpaw – Blue-gray she-cat with silvery eyes

Nightpaw – Gray she-cat with black paws

Blackpaw – Black tom with yellow eyes

Graypaw – Small gray she-cat

Queens: Rosetail – Light brown tabby she-cat, mother of Topazfur's kits: Acornkit (Brown tabby tom), Mintkit (Light brown she-cat), and Pinekit (Brown tom with golden eyes)

Silvertail – Silver she-cat with bright green eyes, mother of Shadowleaf's kits: Rainkit (Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes), Cloudkit (White she-cat with topaz eyes), and Breezekit (Black tom with white paws and tail tip), Leafkit (Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes)

Elders: Lightstripe – Black and white striped tom

Littlefeather – Soft white she-cat with happy blue eyes

Rainshadow – Former deputy, black tom with bluish gray paws, tail, and face

**AmberClan**

Leader: Smallstar – Black and white tom with blue eyes and small paws

Deputy: Hawkwing – Jet-black she-cat with sliver stripes and a white muzzle, ice blue eyes

Medicine Cat: Eaglefur – Dark brown tom with white paws

Apprentice, Speckledfur

Warriors: Bluerain – Bluish gray tom with gold eyes

Hawkpool – Light blue gray tom with ice blue eyes

Jaywind – Black tom with grayish eyes

Apprentice, Sweetpaw

Cougarfur – Brown tom with light blue eyes

Leafmoon – Brown she-cat with blue eyes

Shadefoot – Gray tom with a white chest, amber eyes, and one black foot

Apprentice, Fishpaw

Leafpelt – Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Lightjay – Black tom with green eyes

Mossfur – Brown tabby she-cat with a white muzzle

Tanglepath – Scarred, dark brown tabby tom with green eyes, formerly of NorthClan

Apprentice, Brownpaw

Wishsong – White and orange she-cat with green eyes, formerly of LightningClan

Apprentices: Speckledfur – Gray she-cat with black specks and amber eyes

Sweetpaw – Pure white she-cat with orange splotches

Fishpaw – Blue-gray tom

Brownpaw – Light brown tabby tom

Queens: Silverdusk – Silver she-cat with white spots and lavender eyes, expecting Shadefoot's kits

Elders: Frozenfoot – Dark gray tom with light gray paws

Lostfoot – Elderly brown tabby tom, missing one paw

**LightningClan **

Leader: Foxstar – Gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Darkfur – Dark black tom with hazel eyes and a scar on his side

Medicine Cat: Swanfeather – Light cream colored she-cat with green eyes

Warriors: Heatherfur – Brown she-cat with hazel eyes, black paws, and only one ear

Mistheart – Black she-cat with white paws, blue eyes, missing half of her tail

Blackpelt – Black tom with green eyes and scarred legs

Shorttail – Brown short tailed tom with a scarred face

Volefang – Vicious battle scarred gray and black tom with gray eyes

Apprentice, Pantherpaw

Songfire – Golden and white she-cat with amber eyes

Sunstep – Golden tom with black paws

Coalfur – Black and gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Spiderpaw

Hazelflower – Light brown she-cat with blue eyes and a white tail

Apprentices: Spiderpaw – Tall black tom with white paws and bright green eyes

Pantherpaw – Black tom with green eyes

Queens: (None)

Elders: Crystalpool – White she-cat with green eyes and one torn ear

**TreeClan**

Leader: Pebblestar – Beautiful silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Deputy: Turtlefur – Tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Dreadmist – Gray tom with blue eyes

Warriors: Eveningsong – Black she-cat with white paws and chest

Sootpool – Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Lambpaw

Wingflight – All white she-cat with amber eyes

Moonleaf – Black and white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Owlpaw

Sunflash – Golden tom with black paws and tail tip

Leopardclaw – Brownish-gold tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Silverheart – Silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Barkfoot – Brown tom with gray paws

Feralclaw – Black she-cat with green eyes

Bluesky – Blue-gray she-cat with gray eyes

Apprentices: Owlpaw – Brown tabby tom

Lambpaw – Very pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Queens: Icetalon – White she-cat with green eyes, expecting Sootpool's kits

Elders: Saltface – Gray she-cat with a white face

**Cats Outside of Clans**

Leaf – Tanglepath's mother, dead. Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Sky – Tanglepath's father, dead. Gray and white tom with sky blue eyes

Splotch – Fat white tom with black patches, knew Leaf and Sky; kittypet

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**Prologue: Born Anew**

Pained yowls filled the camp. The warriors, apprentices, and even medicine cats winced as they passed or entered the nursery. A pure white she-cat with soft blue eyes made her way quickly across the camp, flicking her tail in greeting to a dark gray tom who called, "Hey, Featherstorm!" as she passed.

She slipped into the nursery, moving to stand by a brown she-cat who crouched next to a silver tabby. The tabby was panting hard, letting out the pained yowls that could be heard throughout the camp.

"Just relax, Silvertail," the brown she-cat murmured, thanking Featherstorm quietly as she took the cobwebs. "I need you to push. It'll be over soon."

"Not soon enough," Silvertail grunted.

"Shadowleaf's still out there, Lillypelt," Featherstorm informed the brown she-cat. "Should I tell him to leave?"

Lillypelt sighed. "No, don't bother. He'll be able to come in soon enough."

On the other side of the nursery, three kits peered over their mother's back. "Can we see, Mother?" begged a small brown she-cat.

"No, stay down, Mintkit," their mother sighed, lifting her and setting her down. She turned to a small tom kit, a brown tabby, and set him down next to Mintkit. "You too, Acornkit." She shot a glare at the last one, a brown tabby with golden eyes, who was just about to scramble over her. "Pinekit, don't you dare."

Pinekit slid back down next to his brother and sister, blushing. "Sorry, Rosetail."

Rosetail sighed, gently licking each of her kits.

A yowl exploded out of Silvertail nearer to the entrance. "Oh, SkyClan!"

"Just relax," Featherstorm soothed her. "You'll be alright, Silvertail. Push! There, good job, I can see the kit."

Silvertail screamed in pain, and a small kit slipped out. Featherstorm quickly snatched the kit up and licked it until the sac around it broke and the kit could take its first breath of air. As she was licking the kit to warm it, Lillypelt moved to take her place.

A moment later, a second kit slipped out. Having already set the first kit by Silvertail's stomach to suckle, Featherstorm replaced Lillypelt, saying, "Just one more."

Finally, the third kit joined its siblings at their mother's belly, but Silvertail's yowls didn't stop. Featherstorm and Lillypelt exchanged a worried glance.

"I thought you said there were only three!" Silvertail shouted, her body convulsing in another contraction.

"I'm never wrong," Lillypelt said firmly. She sniffed at Silvertail, then turned to Featherstorm. "Go fetch more cobwebs."

Unbeknownst to any of the nursery's occupants, there was another cat there, sitting with a frown on her brown tabby face. Her green eyes narrowed. SkyClan had foretold only three kits, so why was Silvertail still in the midst of labor?

Dawnfire, the former deputy of the very Clan she stood among just now, stood and circled Silvertail, Lillypelt, and the three kits, confused. It was SkyClan tradition for a former warrior of a particular Clan to be present when a queen of that Clan was giving birth. The SkyClan warrior would then give the kits the blessing of SkyClan, and a gift that would help them through life. As Dawnfire had known Silvertail, as well as going through the pain of labor once herself, she had been selected to be present then.

But this was not something that her ancestors had prepared her for. The SkyClan warriors had foretold three kits to be born of Silvertail and Shadowleaf, yet here she was, waiting for a fourth.

She hovered close to Silvertail, eyes narrowing as the fourth kit slid out into the mossy bedding. Lillypelt pulled it close to her, licking through the membrane encasing the little kit so that it could take its first breath of air.

Dawnfire's eyes widened suddenly when she took in the kit's appearance. She had seen one kit who had looked exactly like this little one. It was a generic brown tabby, very similar to another warrior she knew, and one dead loner.

"She-kit," Lillypelt murmured as Silvertail's contractions finally subsided. She set the little kit down next to her mother.

Silvertail raised her head to look down on her kits wearily, just as a long-haired black warrior hurried inside. His eyes grew soft when he saw Silvertail, and he hurried over.

"Shadowleaf," she greeted him with relief. "What do you think of the kits?"

"They're beautiful," he breathed, staring down at the little kits.

"What will you name them?" asked Featherstorm as she slipped back inside the nursery.

Silvertail's eyes traveled over the four kits, her body stiffening when she saw the little tabby. She looked nothing like her father or mother. She quickly looked away, at the largest kit, the first one born. He was a dark gray tom, and he kneaded his mother's belly as he suckled.

"How about Rainkit?" she suggested for the tom.

"That's a wonderful name," Shadowleaf agreed. "And for this one, the little white she-cat, how about Cloudkit?"

"I like that," Silvertail murmured.

"If I could make a suggestion," Featherstorm interjected, "I like Breezekit for the other tom, the black one."

Silvertail nodded, and then slowly looked back at the tabby. "How about Leafkit?" she murmured quietly.

"That's perfect." Shadowleaf nuzzled his mate. "And so are the kits."

Dawnfire listened quietly through the naming of the kits, and then finally sighed and closed her eyes, calling up the words that the other SkyClan warriors had imparted upon her.

"I, Dawnfire of SkyClan," she began, "hereby bless these four kits, the sons and daughters of Silvertail and Shadowleaf of NorthClan. For Rainkit, may he always have strength and power. For Cloudkit, may she always have cunning and intelligence. For Breezekit, may he always have speed and agility. And for Leafkit…" Here she faltered, as she hadn't had any time to come up with a blessing for Leafkit. Finally, it came to her, and she spoke again. "And for Leafkit, may she always have calm and peace. The blessing of SkyClan goes with them forever."

She started to turn away, to return to SkyClan's hunting grounds, but paused and looked back. _I hope you have a better life this time,_ she thought silently, watching Leafkit nestle against Silvertail's belly. _And that you one day meet your son._

And with that, she turned away and left.

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**A/N: That's it for this update. Let me know what you think in a review! I'm anticipating your responses! Hope you liked it, and see you next Friday!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	2. Chapter 1: Away from Home

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! I'll get around to replying to reviews eventually, I'm just being lazy. :P Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy! :)**

**(OHMIGOSH, I ACTUALLY UPDATED ON TIME! :OOOO)**

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**Chapter 1: Away From Home**

The fronds of a small fern rustled and parted as a tabby tom slipped out. The damp fronds left early morning dew droplets on his shiny, water resistant fur. He shook himself to throw the drops off just as a smaller, younger, lighter colored tabby stepped out behind him. The younger tom jumped out of the way as the drops splattered onto the wet ground underfoot.

"Hey!" he exclaimed teasingly. "Watch where you're shaking those things!"

The older tom gave him a weary look. "It's too early for jokes, Brownpaw. Save it for when I'm more awake."

"Aw, you're no fun," Brownpaw pouted. "Come on, Tanglepath, I was only teasing. You don't have to be such a grumpy hedgehog."

"First of all," Tanglepath exclaimed, exasperated, "the phrase is grumpy _badger_, not hedgehog. And second of all, I was up all night guarding the camp from intruders. I chased off a fox trying to get inside, as you well know, so I deserve some rest, but instead I'm out here, taking you out for training out of the good of my own heart, so be quiet, and don't argue."

Brownpaw opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it after processing Tanglepath's words, and nodded instead.

They walked in silence for a while, wading through a few narrow streams. Tanglepath reveled at the ease with which he traveled through the territory. Only a few short moons ago, he had been living with a much different Clan, on a much different territory. That Clan had been NorthClan, where he had been raised and trained as a warrior cat. But he had been forced to leave NorthClan.

Well, maybe "forced" isn't quite the right word. Ever since he was an apprentice, Tanglepath had met in secret with a she-cat of another Clan, LightningClan. He had eventually fallen in love with the LightningClan warrior, whose name was Wishsong. But this sort of relationship with a cat from another Clan was forbidden by the warrior code, the laws that governed the hearts, minds, and souls of every warrior cat. He and Wishsong had decided to leave their Clans so that they could live together without having to keep their relationship a secret, and so they had moved to AmberClan together, where they had been living for the past four moons.

Since then, Tanglepath had formed close bonds with AmberClan's deputy, Hawkwing, whom he had known when he lived in NorthClan, and Shadefoot, a warrior who was close to Tanglepath's age. The relationship with Hawkwing had earned him his own apprentice, Brownpaw, who he trained almost every day.

Seeming to suddenly forget Tanglepath's orders, Brownpaw spoke up. "Where are we going, Tanglepath? Is it much farther?"

Tanglepath sighed, but chose not to correct his apprentice's behavior. "Just a little more, Brownpaw. We're heading toward the NorthClan border."

"What are we doing?" Brownpaw asked curiously.

"Fishing," Tanglepath responded. How strange that only four moons ago, he would have scowled and backed away at the thought of getting his paws wet, but now it seemed natural, and he knew the process of catching AmberClan's favorite prey as well as any other warrior of his new home.

Brownpaw pouted. "I wanna do battle training! All you've taught me to do is catch squirrels and swim. I don't know anything about fighting. What if LightningClan attacks us tomorrow?"

"Then you, Fishpaw, and Sweetpaw will go protect the nursery to the best of your ability," Tanglepath retorted. "We're fishing."

Brownpaw muttered something under his breath that Tanglepath couldn't catch. The former NorthClan warrior sighed, frustrated, and turned to face his apprentice. "Look at me. Do you like fish?"

"Yes," Brownpaw mumbled.

"And do you like being able to swim without your fur holding all that water?"

"Yes…"

"And do you think any other Clan is going to get their paws wet so they can steal our fish?"

"No…"

"Then stop whining and do as you're told." Tanglepath turned back around and led the way.

They finally stopped when they reached a small stream that ran through AmberClan territory. "Here we are," Tanglepath told his apprentice.

Brownpaw crept closer to the stream, peering down into the rushing water. "Are there really fish in there? I don't see any."

"No, you wouldn't," Tanglepath meowed. "See how your shadow is falling on the water? The fish will know you're there. You need to be on the other side." He quickly leapt over to the other side, and Brownpaw followed with a mighty leap, landing next to Tanglepath.

"Now what?" he asked eagerly, looking more excited at the prospect of fishing now that they had reached the stream.

"Watch me the first time," Tanglepath instructed him. "That way you'll know what to do."

He turned to the stream and raised a paw, staring down into the rushing water. He waited until a flash of silver caught his eye, and his paw flashed out, scooping a flopping, silver fish out onto the grass. He pressed his paw against its gills until it stopped moving.

"Did you see what I did?" he asked Brownpaw, turning to the tabby apprentice.

Brownpaw nodded. "Can I try now?" he asked excitedly.

Tanglepath rolled his eyes at the young cat's antics. "Okay, go ahead. First, face the water." He coached his young apprentice through his first two fish, and then stood up. "Okay, try to get a couple more. I'm going to see if I can catch anything else." Brownpaw only nodded, his paw poised to strike and his eyes intent on the shimmering water that rushed through the stream. Tanglepath couldn't help a chuckle as he turned and walked away.

He walked along through the forest, hoping to catch sight, sound, or smell of any other prey. Suddenly, the wind switched, blowing the scent of the bordering Clan to his nose.

A pang of homesickness hit Tanglepath's stomach. The scent was that of NorthClan.

Swallowing down the familiar ache of longing, Tanglepath turned to gaze at where he knew the border was. NorthClan's scent was fresh and strong. A border patrol had just come through here.

Wary of being caught, but curious nevertheless, Tanglepath slowly approached the border. He bent his head to sniff the scent marks. He was surprised at how foreign the scent of his home Clan was to him, but he could still pick out the scents of individual cats. There was Duskflame, who had mentored Tanglepath when he was an apprentice, Stripefur, the Clan deputy, and Shadowleaf.

The last of these was the mate of Tanglepath's adopted sister, Silvertail. Though they'd had two other siblings, Smokefoot, a warrior, and Featherstorm, a medicine cat, Tanglepath and Silvertail had always been the closest of the four. When they'd been apprentices, Silvertail had been the only one who knew that Tanglepath had been meeting with Wishsong. And when it came time for him to leave, Tanglepath had confided only in Silvertail before slipping out that night. Since then, Tanglepath had missed his sister terribly.

Of course, she was only his _adopted_ sister. Tanglepath's real parents were not Moonshadow and Mistypool, who were Silvertail, Smokefoot, and Featherstorm's parents. His real parents had been rogues, who had abandoned him in the forest when he was just a tiny kit. Thankfully, Mistypool had found him while on patrol and taken him to Lillypelt, the NorthClan medicine cat. Lillypelt had managed to save him, and Mistypool and Moonshadow had taken him in as one of their own. They had kept the secret of Tanglepath's birth from him until he was an apprentice.

But now he was a warrior. He had earned his full warrior name, which had been given to him by the leader of NorthClan, Stormstar, and he wasn't a NorthClan warrior anymore. He was an AmberClan warrior now, and his first loyalty had to be to AmberClan.

He sent one last nostalgic look over his shoulder at the NorthClan territory, took in a deep breath to smell the familiar scents one last time, and then started heading away, back towards the AmberClan camp.

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**A/N: So, I don't really like this chapter much. It's kind of slow, and not much happens. It's also pretty short. But we're still just starting out, so don't worry, we'll have more action soon, I promise. :P Next chapter, a Gathering, and we get to see Silvertail! Hooray!**

**Just so you know, if you ever want information on the next chapter, there's a section on my profile that has a brief summary of the next chapter, along with a short excerpt. It can be found near the bottom, under the section entitled "Coming Soon to a Computer Near You". That way, you don't have to bother me with your useless questions. Just kidding, I love you guys. ;D**

**Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think! :)**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	3. Chapter 2: Apart

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Sorry it's late, but here's how I'll make it up to you-this chapter's longer than the last one. Hope you enjoy. :) And muchas gracias to my reviewers! Love you guys!

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**Chapter 2: Apart**

Night lay upon the forest. A full moon hung high in the sky. Tanglepath padded alongside Wishsong. Shadefoot, a gray-furred tom, walked next to him. All around them were other AmberClan warriors. Eaglefur, the medicine cat, and his apprentice, Speckledfur, walked a foxlength or two away. Leafpelt and Lightjay, who were brother and sister, had their heads bent close together, murmuring to each other as they walked. Tanglepath felt a tinge of jealousy, wishing he could be with his sister the way that Lightjay was with Leafpelt.

Wishsong touched her tail tip to his flank, as if she knew what he was thinking. "We chose this life, remember?" she reminded him softly.

Tanglepath sighed and nodded. It was true. They had decided to come here so that they could be together, because their bond was stronger than any other, but Tanglepath still wished that he could have both his sister and his mate at his side.

"Will all of the other leaders be there?" Brownpaw asked excitedly, bouncing along in front of Tanglepath and Wishsong. "Pebblestar and Foxstar? And Stormstar?" His amber eyes lit up hopefully. "Oh, I'd like to meet Stormstar. I hear he's the best leader in the forest. Except for Smallstar, of course," he added hurriedly, with a nervous glance over his shoulder towards the black and white AmberClan leader, who was being helped along by Hawkwing, the deputy.

Shadefoot laughed at the apprentice's antics, but Tanglepath couldn't help the flash of anxiety that ran through him. From the glance he exchanged with Wishsong, he knew that she too still remembered their encounter with Smallstar in his den on the night they had asked to stay with the Clan. His mood had shifted rapidly from distrust to anger to a sudden openness to letting them stay.

But Tanglepath pushed the thoughts of Smallstar's strange moods to the back of his mind. There was no point in worrying the other Clan members.

The scents of the other three Clans drifted to him on the breeze as they approached Four-place. There was the leafy scent of TreeClan, the warm, familiar scent of NorthClan, and the utterly despised scent of LightningClan. Tanglepath openly embraced them all, even LightningClan. This was only his second Gathering since he had joined the Clan, and he was looking forward to seeing old friends.

The AmberClan cats slipped through the undergrowth around the edge of the clearing, merging with the other three Clans. Tanglepath saw Wishsong's eyes light up. He frowned, following her gaze, and realized that she had spotted her brother, Coalfur. She hurried over in his direction, calling his name.

"You should stop her," Shadefoot murmured in his ear.

Tanglepath glanced over at the other warrior. "Why? She's just going to talk to her brother. You don't get upset when I talk to Silvertail."

"It's not _me_ you should be worried about," Shadefoot corrected him. He glanced over at Lightjay. The black warrior's eyes were narrowed as he stared at Wishsong, who was greeting Coalfur with excited licks. "But some of the others might not like it too much that she's talking to an enemy warrior, and LightningClan on top of that."

"They'll just have to deal with it," Tanglepath said firmly. "Wishsong and I have proved again and again that we're loyal to AmberClan. There should be nothing wrong with her talking to her brother. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

He walked stiffly away from Shadefoot. Perhaps he could have been a bit more sympathetic with the AmberClan warrior's feelings, but he had to defend his mate above all others. If they didn't have each other, who did they have?

He had just spotted Shadowleaf, and was about to make his way over to him when a yowl stopped him. He looked up at the Great Tree, which was the giant oak in the center of the clearing where the four Clan leaders spoke to them. Smallstar was just struggling up into the tree with Hawkwing's help. The AmberClan deputy was about to jump back down to the ground to sit with the other deputies, but Smallstar wavered dangerously on the branch, and she immediately steadied him, choosing instead to stay there with him.

Tanglepath ran his eyes over the three deputies seated at the foot of the Great Tree. There was Stripefur, the gray tabby tom who was the NorthClan deputy. Sitting next to him was Turtlefur, a tortoiseshell tom. Turtlefur was the TreeClan deputy. Seated as far away from the other two as possible was Darkfur. The LightningClan deputy's black fur shone silver in the moonlight.

Stormstar, a black tom, was on his paws. He looked over at Hawkwing, making sure that Smallstar was okay before he addressed the Clans. "Warriors of all four Clans! Tonight, under the full moon, we gather to share news, as SkyClan wishes us to do." He looked over at the other Clan leaders. "Who would like to go first?"

"I will, Stormstar, if that's alright." It was a silver tabby who spoke. This was Pebblestar, the TreeClan leader.

Stormstar dipped his head. "Go ahead, Pebblestar."

The TreeClan leader stood, carefully placing her paws so that she wouldn't fall. "This past moon, TreeClan gained two new apprentices. Owlkit and Lambkit are now Owlpaw and Lambpaw."

There were murmurs of congratulations, and Tanglepath craned his head to see a brown tabby tom and a pale gray she-cat bending their heads in embarrassment.

"TreeClan is also expecting new kits," Pebblestar went on. "Icetalon has moved into the nursery, expecting Sootpool's kits." Again, variations of "congratulations" spread throughout the Clans. Tanglepath noticed that only a few LightningClan warriors spoke up.

When he looked back at the Great Tree, Smallstar was standing, leaning heavily on Hawkwing. "AmberClan also has a new apprentice," he said. His voice was shaky. "Brownpaw, Leafmoon's son, is being mentored by Tanglepath."

There was a bit of surprise mixed in with the congratulatory comments that Tanglepath received. He wasn't angry about it, though. He himself had been surprised when Smallstar had named him Brownpaw's mentor. It was strange that the AmberClan leader had selected him, who hadn't been born an AmberClan cat.

Finally, Smallstar sat back down, and a gray she-cat rose from her seat. A cold contempt ran through the gathered AmberClan, TreeClan, and NorthClan warriors. The gray she-cat was Foxstar, LightningClan's leader. She was tyrannical and wanted nothing but to control all four Clans.

"LightningClan has two new apprentices as well," she said, her voice cool. "Spiderpaw and Pantherpaw. Their mentors are Coalfur and Volefang, respectively."

She sat back down then, and Stormstar finally stood up. Immediately, the cool tension that had captured the Clans was alleviated. Stormstar was well-liked by all the Clans, mostly because of his skill at diplomacy and his ability to avoid battle and needless bloodshed. He was also compassionate and wise, all the good qualities of a leader.

"NorthClan has been quite fortunate this past moon," he said, sounding quite proud of his Clan. "Silvertail has delivered four healthy kits into our Clan. Their names are Rainkit, Cloudkit, Breezekit, and Leafkit."

"Silvertail! Silvertail!" the Clans cheered. Tanglepath joined in happily, jubilated that his sister had finally kitted.

Stormstar bowed his head then. "If there is no other news to share…" He trailed off, glancing around at the other leaders. They all shook their heads, and Stormstar nodded. "Very well, then. This Gathering is adjourned."

* * *

"We should be getting back soon," a silver-furred she-cat said anxiously, sitting next to her mate, a black tom.

"Relax, Silvertail," the tom reassured her. "Rosetail's watching them. They'll be fine."

"Maybe…" Silvertail said doubtfully.

The tom shook his head. "Rosetail knows what she's doing. Those kits will come to no harm, or my name isn't Shadowleaf."

Silvertail sighed. "I hope you're right."

Then she looked up, scanning the crowd of moving cats with her eyes. She knew she only had a few moments to find Tanglepath and greet him before Stormstar called the NorthClan warriors together to go home.

"Silvertail!" A voice from behind her caught Silvertail's attention, and she turned around to see a black and silver she-cat coming up to her.

"Hawkwing," she greeted the AmberClan deputy.

"Congratulations on the kits," Hawkwing said warmly. "I hope they're doing well."

"Just fine, thank you," Silvertail responded. "How's the river running?" Though she'd only spoken to Tanglepath a pawful of times since he'd left, she'd noticed that he'd quickly picked up the AmberClan lingo.

Hawkwing seemed surprised at the AmberClan phrase. "You've been speaking to Tanglepath," she accused her.

Silvertail looked guiltily down at her paws. "Yes," she admitted.

Hawkwing's face softened. "Relax, Silvertail, it's only a joke. I'm glad he's been speaking to you. He needs someone to talk to."

"Is he doing all right?" Silvertail asked a bit worriedly. "I'm worried he won't fit in."

Hawkwing laughed. "You shouldn't worry, Silvertail. He's fitting in just fine. It may not be a perfect fit, but he's pretty good friends with Shadefoot and Lightjay, and he's getting on just fine with Brownpaw."

Silvertail breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I worry about him."

"You don't need to," Hawkwing assured her. "He's a full grown warrior, just like you. You don't need to worry. He'll find his way, no matter what."

"I know," Silvertail mumbled. She sighed dejectedly. "I miss him," she confided. "He was always there. So strong, and dependable… I knew I could go to him with my problems."

"Try Stripefur," Hawkwing suggested. "I know he's just as diplomatic and good at keeping the peace as his brother. He'll help you."

Silvertail shot the AmberClan deputy a thankful look. "I know. He was my mentor."

Hawkwing nodded, and then glanced over her shoulder as Smallstar called her name. "I should get going," she said quickly to Silvertail, apologetic. "It was nice talking to you, though, Silvertail. I'll see you some other time."

"Bye, Hawkwing," Silvertail said. "SkyClan go with you."

"And you," Hawkwing replied. Then she turned and headed after Smallstar and her Clan.

Silvertail only managed to catch Tanglepath's eye for the briefest of moments before he was surrounded by Shadefoot and Wishsong and Brownpaw. Then she sighed and turned away.

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**A/N: And we see Silvertail for the first time in this story! Hope you liked the chapter. Make sure to tell me what you think in a review! There'll be a new update on Friday!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	4. Chapter 3: Changes in NorthClan

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Gah, late _again_. The only good thing I can say is that this chapter is longer than the last one. We get to meet the kittens this chapter, too! Hope you guys enjoy. :)

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**Chapter 3: Changes in NorthClan**

"Acornkit, hold still!" Rosetail snapped, gently cuffing her squirming son around the ears.

"But Rosetail!" Acornkit whined. "Rainkit and Cloudkit won't leave me alone!"

From her nest on the other side of the nursery, Silvertail sighed. "Rainkit, Cloudkit, come back over here, and leave Acornkit alone."

A dark gray tabby tom kit turned around, defiance flashing in his blue eyes. "Why should I?"

Silvertail's tail flicked in annoyance. "Because I'm your mother, and I said so."

"Don't be mousebrained, Rainkit." The little she-cat who spoke was a small tabby with amber eyes, curled up next to Silvertail. "You'll only get in trouble, and then you won't even be able to see the ceremony."

Rainkit opened his mouth to protest, but the white she-kit standing next to him flicked him with her tail. "Leafkit's right," she said. "Don't you want to see the ceremony?"

"Of course I do!" Rainkit exclaimed indignantly. "But, Cloudkit, come on!"

Cloudkit fixed him with a steely, amber-eyed gaze. "Not happening, Rainkit." She walked back over to Silvertail and settled down next to Leafkit.

"Breezekit, help me out!" Rainkit begged, looking over to his black-furred brother, who lay with his two sisters.

Breezekit snorted. "No chance."

Rainkit's tail drooped, and he sulked back over to Silvertail, flopping down in the mossy nest.

"Don't be like that," Silvertail said briskly. "You know better."

Rainkit sighed, and curled up into a ball, drawing his tail over his nose.

"I wish _we_ were gonna be apprentices," Cloudkit said wistfully.

"Just a few more moons," Silvertail reminded her encouragingly.

"That's like a lifetime!" the little she-kit wailed. "I don't wanna wait that long!"

"We don't have a choice," Leafkit said practically. "Those are the rules of the warrior code, and if we want to be warriors, we have to follow those rules."

Rainkit snorted in contempt. "Warrior code. _LightningClan_ doesn't follow it, why should we?"

"Don't talk like that," Silvertail snapped. "You all should get some sleep."

"But we'll miss the ceremony!" exclaimed Cloudkit, eyes wide.

Sighing, Silvertail shook her head. "Fine. Stay awake if you want. We'll see how tired you are tonight."

Rainkit sprung up to his paws. "Let's play!" he demanded. "I'll be Stormstar, and Cloudkit can be Foxstar, and Leafkit and Breezekit can be LightningClan warriors, and I'll beat you all, because Stormstar never loses a battle!"

"You're always Stormstar!" Cloudkit protested. "I wanna be Stormstar!"

"You can't be Stormstar. You're a she-cat, and Stormstar's a tom," Breezekit pointed out. "If anyone's going to be Stormstar, it'll be _me_."

Rainkit's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so. _I'm_ Stormstar."

"Nuh-uh! I am!"

"No you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

"I'll fight you for it!" declared Rainkit.

"You're on!" Breezekit challenged him. They began to circle each other, but then froze as a voice rang out over the Clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here by the Widestream for a Clan meeting!" It was Stormstar, calling the warriors together for the ceremony.

Cloudkit squealed in anticipation. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" She dashed out of the nursery. Rainkit and Breezekit were hard on her heels. Leafkit followed along behind them with Silvertail, sighing.

"They keep rushing around," she meowed, shaking her head. "One day they're going to step on a thorn, and then they'll be sorry."

Silvertail contemplated the philosophical meaning to that for a moment, but shook it away. She doubted that Leafkit had meant anything more than exactly what she had said; after all, she _was_ just a kit. She couldn't possibly have come up with something as deep as that. "Don't you ever want to play with them?" she questioned her daughter.

"Of course I do," Leafkit responded. "I just wish they would slow down a little. I like to take my time."

Silvertail thought back to when she and her siblings had been kits. Then, it had always been Tanglepath who had taken his time laboring through everything, thinking over his decisions. She and Smokefoot had been whirlwinds around the camp, always fighting and full of energy. Featherstorm had always been different from the rest of them—more calm and quiet. She hadn't liked their fighting games. Though when they'd been very young kits, she'd said she wanted to be a warrior, Silvertail had always known somewhere deep inside her that her snow white sister would become a medicine cat.

Silvertail sat down at the edge of the warriors who had gathered around the stream that ran through the center of the camp. Stormstar stood on the Stepstone, a small rock jutting up out of the Widestream from where he addressed the Clan.

At the front of the group sat Shadowleaf and Sunstripe, a golden tabby tom. Sunstripe was in an unusual situation. He had been chosen to take over the training of Ravenpaw, Silvertail's apprentice, when Silvertail had moved to the nursery, but he was also training Graypaw, the only daughter of Jewelfoot and Twilightsky.

Silvertail's heart filled with love when she saw Ravenpaw and his sister Poolpaw walk out of the apprentices' den. Ravenpaw was nearly as big as Shadowleaf, and Poolpaw was not far behind. Silvertail had spent a lot of time training Ravenpaw alongside Shadowleaf as he trained Poolpaw, and she was filled with pride knowing that today was the day that all of that training had gone into. The two apprentices had grown a lot since Silvertail and Shadowleaf had started training them—and not just in size, though they had both grown to the size of full-grown warriors. They had matured in heart, as well. They had learned the lessons of loyalty and bravery, courage and strength, compassion and kindness, that were all taught through the warrior code.

Finally, when all the cats had settled down, Stormstar began to speak. "Cats of NorthClan! There comes a day in every young cat's life when their mentor has nothing more to teach them about hunting, fighting, or the warrior code. Today, that day has come for two young apprentices of our Clan." He smiled fondly at Ravenpaw and Poolpaw, who were his kits. "Sunstripe and Shadowleaf, are you satisfied that your apprentices have learned everything that you can teach them?"

"Ravenpaw fights like a warrior, Stormstar," Sunstripe rumbled in his deep voice.

"And Poolpaw can hunt as well as any cat," Shadowleaf added.

"Then I will begin the ceremony," Stormstar declared. "I, Stormstar, leader of NorthClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have worked hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He looked over at his two kits, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "Ravenpaw, Poolpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do." Ravenpaw's voice rang with conviction.

"I do," echoed Poolpaw, her voice strong and determined.

"Then I hereby give you your warrior names," Stormstar went on. "Poolpaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Poolsong. SkyClan honors your compassion and your quick thinking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of NorthClan."

The newly named Poolsong stepped forward. Stormstar rested his head on top of his daughter's, and she respectfully licked his shoulder.

Once she had stepped back, Stormstar turned to the other of his kits. "Ravenpaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Ravenheart. SkyClan honors your strength and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of NorthClan."

After they had performed the last part of the ceremony and Ravenheart had joined his sister, the Clan raised all raised their voices as one, calling the two warriors' new names. "Poolsong! Ravenheart! Poolsong! Ravenheart!"

Stormstar signaled for silence with a single wave of his tail. Once everyone had quieted down, he said, "Before a young cat can become a warrior as these two have just done, they must become apprentices. There are three kits who have reached their sixth moon, and it is their turn to go through a ceremony that I love performing. Acornkit, Mintkit, and Pinekit."

Rosetail's three kits stepped forward. Acornkit was quivering from head to tail, but Mintkit and Pinekit seemed to be able to control themselves a little better.

"Acornkit, Mintkit, and Pinekit," Stormstar said, his voice loud and firm, "from this day until you earn your warrior names, you will be known as Acornpaw, Mintpaw, and Pinepaw. Acornpaw, your mentor will be Shadowleaf." He turned to the black warrior. "Shadowleaf, I know that you have just finished Poolsong's training, but I had hoped that you would be willing to take on Acornpaw, as well. If you do half as well as you did with Poolsong, then I know Acornpaw will be a splendid warrior."

Shadowleaf dipped his head. "I'll do my best, Stormstar." Then he stepped forward to touch his nose to Acornpaw's.

"Mintpaw," Stormstar went on. "Emberheart will mentor you. I know that your two personalities will be a perfect fit. Emberheart, I'm trusting you with the training of this apprentice."

Silently, Emberheart pressed her nose to Mintpaw's.

Finally, Stormstar addressed the last apprentice. "Duskflame, you will be mentor to Pinepaw. You mentored Tanglepath, and though he is no longer with us, he was a credit to this Clan."

Silvertail flinched at Stormstar's words. He made it sound as if Tanglepath was dead.

Duskflame was blushing. "I do my best, Stormstar," she murmured, embarrassed, before she stepped up to Pinepaw.

After mentor and apprentice had separated, the three other apprentices, Nightpaw, Graypaw, and Blackpaw, called out the names of their new denmates. "Acornpaw! Mintpaw! Pinepaw!"

Ravenheart and Poolsong joined in, welcoming the new apprentices. "You'll have to take our nests," Ravenheart said teasingly. "There isn't much room in there!"

"Enjoy your speaking privileges while you have them! Once the sun sets, you and Poolsong won't be able to say a word!" Moonshadow reminded him. The new warrior waved his tail dismissively.

Stormstar was looking thoughtfully over at the apprentices' den. "He's right," he mused. "Maybe we should give some thought to expanding the apprentices' den. Before Silvertail's kits are ready to be apprentices," he added.

Stripefur, Stormstar's deputy, tipped his head to one side. "I'll see what I can do."

Many of the cats started heading away from the Widestream. Silvertail's kits ran over to congratulate their former denmates. Silvertail herself watched them fondly. They could be a pain in the tail sometimes, and she might be worrying about them at every moment, but she loved them. More than anything else in the world. She would willingly sacrifice herself for them.

She finally understood why Mistypool had accepted Tanglepath as one of her own, even though he had been found out in the forest, and was thought to be the son of rogues by most of the Clan. She already knew the joy of having kits—why _wouldn't_ she want the chance to raise one more?

"Silvertail?" a voice broke in to her thoughts, and Silvertail turned to see Ravenheart and Poolsong standing in front of her.

She smiled warmly at them. "I'm so proud of you two," she told them.

"We wanted to say thank you," Poolsong informed her. "I know you were only Ravenheart's mentor, but you still taught me a lot."

"And me too," Ravenheart added. "It's because of you that I'm a warrior."

Silvertail's heart filled with pride. What had happened to the innocent little apprentices who had stumbled after she and Shadowleaf around the territory?

"You two have grown up so much," she murmured, touching her nose first to Poolsong's, and then to Ravenheart's. "I'm proud to have been your mentor." She drew herself up. "Now, the two of you should go ask Stripefur if there's anything that two new warriors should be doing. We don't need you two to start getting lazy already."

Purring, Ravenheart dipped his head. "We'll do that." Then he and Poolsong turned and headed off in Stripefur's direction.

Silvertail watched them go, seeming to move in synchronized motion, and felt her heart fill with longing for her own brother. Not Smokefoot, who was headed back to the warriors' den, but Tanglepath, who was on the other side of the forest, pushed away from her by Clan borders.

She closed her eyes tightly, fighting down the emotions, and headed back for the nursery, calling her kits' names.

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**A/N: There you go. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to check out my profile for a sneak peak of the next chapter! And don't forget to review with what you thought, either! ;)**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	5. Chapter 4: Hero

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Battle time! Too bad Silvertail doesn't get to see any action. ;D Anyway, aren't you happy I actually update3d on time? I hope you enjoy this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it!

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**Chapter 4: Hero**

"Emberheart, Duskflame!" Stripefur was calling, his voice ringing out over the chaos of the Clan. "Bring your apprentices! Moonshadow, Shadowleaf, you too!"

"We want to go, too!" Blackpaw stood in front of the deputy, neck fur bristling. Nightpaw was with him. "We won't let any LightningClan scum attack us!"

"No!" Stormstar ordered, leaping over the Widestream to stand by Stripefur. "I need you two here, to help defend the camp."

Blackpaw hesitated, but then nodded. "Okay."

"Hurry!" Poolsong begged. "Foxstar's brought almost her entire Clan! Ravenheart's out there with only Sunstripe, Mistypool, and Graypaw! They can't hold them off forever!"

Hissing in defiance, Stripefur whirled around. "We won't let them get any farther. NorthClan, let's go!"

Silvertail stood at the mouth of the nursery, fear running through her entire body. Poolsong had burst into the camp only moments earlier, shouting desperately that their hunting patrol had been ambushed by Foxstar, who had an overwhelming number of warriors with her.

The NorthClan warriors that Stripefur had chosen thundered towards the camp entrance. Shadowleaf paused as he passed her. "Don't worry," he murmured, pressing his nose to hers. "Everything will be fine."

"I should be out there fighting with you!" she whispered desperately. "What if you get hurt?"

"I'll be fine," he promised. "There's no need to fret. You'll only worry the kits. Stormstar will be here, and so will Topazfur, Twilightsky, Smokefoot, and the apprentices."

She breathed in his scent deeply to calm herself. "Be careful," she mumbled.

"I'll do my best," he responded, and then turned and dashed after the others.

As soon as they had left, the camp seemed strangely empty and quiet. The only noise was Stormstar giving out responsibilities to the remaining warriors.

"Smokefoot, patrol the perimeter of the camp," he ordered. "If you see, hear, or scent anything, call my name immediately. And stick close to the camp."

The gray warrior dipped his head, and then hurried out of the camp.

Stormstar turned to the other two warriors. "Topazfur, Twilightsky, you two go guard that weak spot behind the warriors' den. We can't have any LightningClan warriors trying to sneak in that way."

"Yes, Stormstar!" The black and golden warriors chorused.

"What about us, Stormstar?" Blackpaw demanded, standing by his sister, Nightpaw.

"You can go help Lillypelt and Featherstorm, Blackpaw," Stormstar answered. "Nightpaw, you go guard the elders' den."

Blackpaw opened his mouth to protest, but Nightpaw shot him a warning glance before heading off to the elders' den. He muttered something under his breath, and then trailed towards the medicine den.

Rainkit suddenly slipped through Silvertail's legs. "We want to help, too, Stormstar!" he declared. "Right?" He looked over at his siblings.

"Yeah!" Breezekit and Cloudkit nodded excitedly.

"Mousebrains," Leafkit muttered, standing by Silvertail. "They're going to get themselves in trouble."

"Don't be so sure," Silvertail warned her. "Watch."

Stormstar considered the three kits gravely for a moment. "There is something that you can do. The elders will be worried about the battle. Maybe if you could coax them into telling you a story, it would calm their nerves." He met each of their eyes in turn. "This is a very important job I'm asking you to do. Do you think you can handle it?" Silvertail allowed herself a small smile. Stormstar was a wonder with kits.

Rainkit quivered with excitement. "Of course we can!" he exclaimed. "Come on, Breezekit, Cloudkit, let's go!" He took off in the direction of the elders' den, with his siblings hot on his heels.

Leafkit tipped her head to one side thoughtfully. "I think I see what he did there…" she said slowly.

Silvertail grinned down at her daughter. "I thought you would."

Leafkit's green eyes flashed, and she suddenly changed tracks to an unexpected topic. "I wonder how Tanglepath's doing right now," she mused.

Startled, Silvertail looked down at her daughter. She had never spoken to her kits about Tanglepath. Maybe they had heard some other warrior talking about him? As she followed her young tabby daughter into the elders' den, Silvertail decided that must be it. There was no other place she could have heard about him.

"Will you tell us a story, Rainshadow?" Cloudkit was asking hopefully when they walked in.

Rainshadow, an elderly black and gray tom, tipped his head to one side. "Well, that depends. What do you want to hear a story about?"

"Tell us something from a long time ago!" Rainkit suggested. "From when you were a kit!"

Silvertail flicked her son's shoulder with her tail, shooting him a disapproving look, but Rainshadow just chuckled. "That _is_ a long time ago, isn't it, young Rainkit? Well, here's a story. It's from when I was an apprentice, though."

"What's it about?" Breezekit inquired curiously.

"It's about how Stormstar got his warrior name," Rainshadow answered.

"Tell us that story!" Cloudkit demanded. When Silvertail shot her a warning glance, she added, meekly, "Please."

Purring with amusement, Rainshadow began. "Well, as I said, I was just an apprentice at the time, only a moon or two younger than Stormstar and Stripefur. Now, they were friends with another apprentice, Stonepaw. Back then, Stonepaw and Stormstar were inseparable. Even more so than Stormstar and Stripefur. Everywhere Stormstar went, Stonepaw was with him, and vice versa. Now, on this particular day, the two had a fight. They were so very angry that they wouldn't even look at each other, much less go out and train together…"

Silvertail let the elder's voice fade into the background. She'd heard this story before, when she was an apprentice and had been given the task of clearing away the elder's bedding and checking their fur for ticks. The den was warm and familiar. She'd come here since she was a kit. The other two elders, Lightstripe and Littlefeather, were already asleep, as the sun had already been setting when Poolsong had come tearing into camp, begging for help.

Slowly, a long time passed. Eventually, her thoughts-along with Rainshadow's story-were suddenly interrupted by a loud yowl. "Stormstar, help!"

Silvertail rushed out of the elder's den to find out what was going on, immediately recognizing the voice of Graypaw, Sunstripe's apprentice. The gray she-cat was running as quickly as she could toward Stormstar, her eyes wide.

The NorthClan leader turned to her, distracted from his self-appointed job of watching over the near-empty camp. "What's wrong?" he demanded of the young she-cat.

"We're losing!" Graypaw wailed. "They keep pushing us back toward the camp! We need more warriors!"

Stormstar reacted immediately. "Topazfur, Twilightsky!" he barked. The two warriors had come running at the sound of Graypaw's voice. "Come with me!" He turned to Silvertail. "Can you handle things here with just Smokefoot and the apprentices?"

"Of course we can. And don't forget, the elders still have some fight in them, too, Stormstar," Silvertail assured him. "As do Lillypelt and Featherstorm. If we have to fight, we'll be able to manage it. Don't worry."

The black tom nodded, reassured. "Let's go," he ordered Topazfur and Twilightsky. The three toms took off, with Graypaw running hard on their heels.

Once they were gone, the camp seemed to be absolutely silent. When Silvertail pricked her ears, she could dimly hear Rainshadow calming the kits and getting back into the story. They would be fine with him for now, she decided. Someone needed to watch over the camp, just in case any of the enemy LightningClan warriors managed to slip past Smokefoot and into the camp.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Silvertail's brother pushed his way inside the camp, his green eyes wide. "What's going on in here?" he demanded. "I heard an awful lot of yowling. I thought some LightningClan cat may have managed to get in."

"Graypaw came back for more reinforcements," Silvertail answered. "Nothing to worry about. Stormstar left with Topazfur and Twilightsky."

Smokefoot nodded, and then called to Blackpaw, who was crossing the camp, trying to sneak off to the elders' den. "Blackpaw! Go patrol the perimeter of the camp! I'm staying in here."

"Yes, Smokefoot!" Blackpaw took off towards the camp entrance.

Smokefoot sighed and sat down next to Silvertail. "I feel like I'm getting old," he complained. "Can you remember when you used to be able to run around like that, never having to worry about how much energy it would take?"

"Yeah, before I got pregnant. Maybe you're going to have kits," Silvertail teased him.

He shot her a look. "You know what I mean. Every time I take Nightpaw out, I marvel at how easily she does tasks that I have to work up the energy for." An anxious look suddenly crossed his face, as if the mention of his apprentice had reminded him of something. "How am I doing with her?" he asked worriedly.

Silvertail purred in amusement. "There's no need to worry, Smokefoot. You're a great teacher, and Nightpaw seems to be catching on just fine. You two work great together."

A slight blush covered Smokefoot's face. "Thanks, Silvertail. It's great to be able to be with her. Train her, I mean," he corrected himself quickly.

"You're doing wonderful," Silvertail assured him, touching her nose to his ear.

How long they lay there, gossiping like elders and giggling like kits, Silvertail didn't know, but it was nice to spend time with her brother again. Suddenly, the bushes rustled. Silvertail stiffened, unsheathing her claws. She was suddenly furious with herself for forgetting about the battle that her Clanmates were facing. How could she be so careless?

Smokefoot touched his tail tip to her shoulder. "Relax," he said. "They're back."

Silvertail opened her mouth to taste the air, and realized he was right. She could smell her Clanmates on the air. She realized, not without a pang of fear, that the scent of blood hung around them, as well.

Stripefur was the first to slip in through the camp entrance. He looked weary and tired, and blood was welling around a cut above his eye. "Everything okay here?" he asked.

"Just fine," Silvertail told him. She scanned the rest of the group silently. Most of the warriors had cuts or scratches on them, obvious signs of the tough battle. Sunstripe had to help Ravenheart limp into camp as one of the black warrior's paws was badly twisted, and Mintpaw had a new "V" shape in her ear. Worry clenched Silvertail's heart when she didn't spot Shadowleaf's black pelt. "Where's-?"

She cut off as Topazfur and Pinepaw walked in, supporting Shadowleaf between them. At first, Silvertail couldn't figure out why he wasn't able to walk on his own, but then he turned his head, teeth gritted in pain, and she realized the reason.

The entire left side of his face was bloody and ruined. His eyes were shut tight, and Silvertail doubted that he would be able to open the left one, even if he tried.

"Shadowleaf!" she called in distress. She dashed over to her mate, who was leaning heavily on Topazfur's shoulder, with Pinepaw pressed close on the other side. "What happened to him?" she wailed.

"Foxstar got him," Topazfur grunted, shifting so as to support Shadowleaf better. "Had her claws in his face and his eye. Probably would have killed him if Moonshadow hadn't gotten there when he did."

As if just saying the name had summoned him, Moonshadow stumbled in then, carrying Stormstar by the scruff of his neck. The NorthClan leader hung limply from Moonshadow's jaws, as if all his SkyClan-granted lives had left him. Silvertail's eyes widened, and terror gripped her.

"He's alive!" Stripefur called immediately to calm the cats who hadn't been at the battle. "He's lost a life, but it's not his last. He'll be fine."

"That's for me to decide," interjected a voice from behind them. Silvertail whipped around, still frantic, and was reassured to see Lillypelt coming up behind her. Featherstorm hurried after her mentor, her jaws full of herbs.

"I'll deal with Shadowleaf first," Lillypelt decided. "He needs the attention more urgently."

"No, take care of Stormstar," Featherstorm, Silvertail's white-furred sister, cut in as she laid her bundle of herbs down on the camp floor. "I'll take care of Shadowleaf."

Lillypelt looked surprised as Silvertail felt. She knew her sister-Featherstorm had never been the type to take charge. She was usually quiet and gave in to her mentor's decisions easily.

Quickly getting over the surprise, Lillypelt nodded. "Very well, then." She turned to Stormstar. Moonshadow had laid him down on the ground and was standing over him, licking blood away from a cut on his shoulder.

She sniffed at him for a moment or two. "He'll be fine," she decided. "Stripefur! Take him to his den and keep him warm, then come get me when he wakes up." She turned to the rest of the Clan. "Okay! Now, anybody who's badly injured, come see me. And don't downplay anything! The smallest injury could cause you the greatest pain."

Meanwhile, Featherstorm was gravely considering the matter of Shadowleaf's face. "I can't see anything with all this blood," she decided finally. "Smokefoot!" she called to their brother.

The gray warrior came dashing over. "Yes?" he asked anxiously. His eyes flicked over Shadowleaf's injured face, looking nervous and worried.

"Go get me cobwebs," she ordered him. "And marigold. You know what that looks like?"

Smokefoot nodded, and then took off toward the medicine den.

"Silvertail, come here," Featherstorm demanded. Silvertail crept closer. "I need you to keep him calm. Talk to him."

Silvertail nodded, and began to babble on about the kits, about how the Clan had been while the warriors had been gone fighting, about everything she could think of. Smokefoot came back with the things that Featherstorm had asked for, and she quickly got to work. It didn't take her long to get most of the blood away from his fur and stop the bleeding. After that, Moonshadow, Stripefur, and Twilightsky worked together to get Shadowleaf and Stormstar into the medicine den.

Once her mate was out of her sight, Silvertail couldn't take it anymore, and looked up at Topazfur. "What _happened_?" she whispered, horrified.

"He saved Stormstar's life," Topazfur said, his eyes and face dark. "Foxstar almost killed Stormstar, but Shadowleaf stopped her. He's a hero, Silvertail. He's a hero."

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**A/N: Mwuhahaha! You didn't think I could injure my characters, did you? Well, I just proved you wrong. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought. :)**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	6. Chapter 5: Meeting

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: OH MAI GOODNESS, I'M ACTUALLY POSTING ON TIME. 8D Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 5: Meeting**

"Catch as much as you can," Tanglepath ordered the apprentices. "Fish, squirrels, whatever you come across. Nothing is too small."

"Yes, Tanglepath!" Brownpaw, Fishpaw, and Sweetpaw all nodded seriously.

They were on a hunting patrol, and not just any hunting patrol. This was the patrol that brought every warrior out of the AmberClan warriors' den, and into the territory. This patrol would fill every warrior's belly that night, and there would still be some left over. It was a strange tradition, unique to AmberClan. The fish-eating Clan kept a large supply of extra fresh-kill in case of emergency. Twice in recent times, the river surrounding the AmberClan camp had overflowed, preventing any cat from leaving the camp to hunt. The extra supply of fresh-kill was the only thing that kept the Clan going.

In the past few days, though, Hawkwing, whose job as deputy was to monitor the extra supply, had noticed that the amount of fresh-kill stored in the underground den was dwindling away, and so she had ordered today to be the day of replenishing. Every cat in the Clan quivered with excitement at the thought of the food they would eat that night. There was always a surplus of fresh-kill brought in on these replenishing days, and the warriors ate well on those days.

Tanglepath had been put in charge of the three apprentices. Fishpaw and Sweetpaw had already proven easier to deal with than Brownpaw, so he was sure he'd have no problems with them. It was Brownpaw he'd need to keep an eye on, but he'd already mentioned something to Fishpaw about keeping an eye on the younger apprentice.

Now, the four cats sat just outside the river that encircled the AmberClan camp. All around them, Hawkwing was organizing the Clan into patrols. Shadefoot, Wishsong, and Jaywind, who was Sweetpaw's mentor, were starting off into the forest. Hawkwing had picked them to guard the borders while the rest of the warriors were out hunting.

Hawkwing jumped up onto a rock that jutted out over the river and let out a yowl, signaling for silence. Tanglepath quickly hushed the loudly chattering apprentices, and looked up at the deputy.

"Cats of AmberClan!" she called, raising her voice. "Today is a day of tradition. This day has been celebrated and participated in by every AmberClan warrior to have ever touched their paws to the ground. Tonight, we will feast on the fresh-kill we bring home. But before we can feast, we must work, and that means hunting until our tails fall off!"

The Clan shouted their agreement. Hawkwing flicked her tail to silence the cats, and Tanglepath hushed the apprentices once more.

"Today, AmberClan," Hawkwing went on, "is the day of replenishing! In the name of SkyClan and of AmberClan, we go forth to fill our extra supply of fresh-kill, and to keep ourselves fresh in the ways that our Clan hunts. This is a day we don't see often, and so let's make the most of it!" She lashed her tail and then raised her voice even higher. "Who are we?"

"AmberClan!" the warriors shouted.

"Who are we?" Hawkwing demanded.

"AmberClan!" Every voice in the Clan came together as one to shout their name.

"We are AmberClan!" Hawkwing replied. Then, as adrenaline and excitement surged through the Clan's warriors, she jumped down from the rock, pausing to speak to Tanglepath as she passed.

"Keep a tight rein on that tabby apprentice of yours," she murmured. "Fishpaw and Sweetpaw have both learned to control their excitement, but that one still needs some work. Not to criticize your training style," she added hurriedly.

Tanglepath purred, though, secretly, he agreed with her. "Don't worry about it, Hawkwing. I'll keep him under control."

"Good." Hawkwing nodded. "Keep me updated on his training." Then she turned and headed off to join her own patrol.

Tanglepath flicked his tail at the apprentices. "Let's go," he ordered.

The four of them hurried through the forest. Finally, they stopped at the same stream that Tanglepath had taught Brownpaw how to fish in.

"The three of you are to stay here and catch as many fish as you can, okay?" Tanglepath met each of their eyes in turn. Fishpaw and Sweetpaw nodded when he looked at them; Brownpaw simply lashed his tail in excitement and repeatedly sheathed and unsheathed his claws.

"You are to take this seriously," Tanglepath ordered, glaring at his apprentice until the young tabby calmed down. "As serious as you would take any other hunting patrol. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Tanglepath!" the three apprentices chorused.

Tanglepath nodded. "Good. I'll be back here around sunhigh, and we'll take our catch back to the camp. Do _not_ leave this area, got it?"

"We won't, Tanglepath," Fishpaw promised somberly. Sweetpaw nodded in agreement.

Tanglepath nodded once more, and then turned and walked off into the forest.

For the next while, he kept his ears pricked and his mouth parted slightly to drink in the scents of the air. Before long, he had caught two squirrels, a pair of frogs, and a swallow. He proudly kicked dirt over the collection, and glanced up to peer through the leaves of the trees. He still had a while before sunhigh, when he would have to go collect the apprentices, but if he caught anymore, he wouldn't be able to carry it. He doubted he could carry what he'd already caught!

Deciding to rest until sunhigh, Tanglepath turned away from his catch and headed off. He found his paws instinctively turn towards NorthClan territory. He sighed. Well, there was no use fighting it.

He paused at the border, sniffing the air as he had the last time he was here. He could smell the scents of the three new apprentices, Acornpaw, Mintpaw, and Pinepaw. Stormstar had announced their new rank at the last Gathering, along with Ravenheart and Poolsong's warrior ceremony.

Tanglepath couldn't help feeling nostalgic as he remembered his sister's apprentice. As a kit, Ravenheart had been kidnapped by LightningClan, but, thanks to Tanglepath and Wishsong, he had been returned to NorthClan to live with his sister. Then Stormstar himself had chosen Silvertail as his mentor. Pride filled his heart as he remembered the ceremony. Silvertail's eyes had shone with such excitement as she and Ravenheart had touched noses.

During training, Ravenheart had been excitable, but always ready to learn. He'd listened carefully to everything Silvertail told him, with only one exception. While he was still a very young apprentice, he had been angry that Silvertail had assigned he and Poolsong the task of cleaning out the elders' den. He'd run off, telling Poolsong that he was hunting with Silvertail and Shadowleaf, and had ended up straying over the AmberClan border and getting into a fight with Shadefoot, who had also only been an apprentice at the time. Silvertail had managed to stop the fight, but Ravenheart missed what would have been his first Gathering as an apprentice.

After that, though, the black furred apprentice had stuck to everything Silvertail had told him, and he and Poolsong became model apprentices. Though he hadn't been there to actually watch it, Sunstripe had told him—on an occasion in which Tanglepath had come across the golden tabby warrior during a border patrol—that Jewelfoot and Twilightsky's kits, Blackpaw, Nightpaw, and Graypaw, looked up to the two older apprentices.

Thinking about his sister's apprentice reminded him of Brownpaw. The young tabby was by no means a bad cat, simply stubborn and willful. Though he wanted to learn, he wanted to do it _his_ way, and no one else's. On patrols, he ran ahead of the rest of the group. During battle training, he tried to insert little moves of his own when Tanglepath was showing him how to do something. And when they were hunting, he was always trying to show off for Sweetpaw, but just ended up scaring off all the prey.

Tanglepath sighed. He supposed he should be more patient. After all, Brownpaw was still young. There was still time for him to learn. Still, he couldn't help worrying that he was doing something wrong. There had to be some sort of training method that he hadn't tried. He needed something—_anything_—that would help him train his apprentice.

Suddenly, the sound of something crashing through the forest reached his ears and startled him out of his thoughts. He turned around just in time to see Sweetpaw and Fishpaw appear out of the bushes, dashing towards him.

"What are you doing here?" Tanglepath demanded. "I told you to stay by the river!"

"_We_ did!" Sweetpaw complained. "But _he_ didn't!"

Tanglepath frowned. "Who?" he asked warily, though he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that he already knew who it was.

"Brownpaw!" Fishpaw exclaimed indignantly, confirming Tanglepath's suspicions. "One moment he was there, fishing with us, and the next, he was gone!" He spat on the ground. "He doesn't know a thing about how he's supposed to behave! He just runs off whenever he feels like it!"

Tanglepath felt anger surge up inside him. Brownpaw had _still_ run off, after Tanglepath had specifically ordered them to stay by the river!

"Come on," he growled. "Let's go find him."

He led the way through the forest again, back to the river. "He was fishing on that side," Fishpaw informed him, pointing with his tail to the opposite bank.

Tanglepath leaped over to the other side, and then sniffed at the ground until he picked up his wayward apprentice's scent. When he caught it, he straightened, and began to follow it away from the deeper parts of the forest, toward the NorthClan border. He frowned. Where did Brownpaw think he was going?

Suddenly, the sound of fighting ahead caught his attention, and he ran forward, Fishpaw and Sweetpaw right behind him. He suddenly burst out into a clearing on the border to see two rolling balls of brown tabby fur on the ground, hissing and snarling.

Tanglepath darted forward, grabbing one of the two cats off the other and shoving himself between them. Brownpaw stood on his right, sides heaving, and on his left was Acornpaw, Rosetail's son.

"What in the name of SkyClan is going on here?" he demanded of the two apprentices.

"That little furball called AmberClan a bunch of fishfaces!" Brownpaw spat.

"Not before you called NorthClan a bunch of flea-bitten fatties!" Acornpaw snarled in response.

"Because you are!" Brownpaw exclaimed, angrily glaring at the NorthClan apprentice.

"Right back at you!"

"That's enough!" Tanglepath roared, interrupting them. "Not a word out of either of you, unless I say so." He glared at Brownpaw. "I told you to stay by the river."

"I smelled a squirrel!" Brownpaw objected, but he fell silent under Tanglepath's harsh gaze.

"You should have let it go," Tanglepath growled. "Don't think I won't say something to Hawkwing about this. Fishpaw and Sweetpaw stayed by the river."

"I'm not Fishpaw or Sweetpaw!" Brownpaw snapped, ignoring Tanglepath's intensifying anger. "You always want me to be like them!"

A flash of guilt hit Tanglepath in the stomach and a wave of worry from earlier rolled over him. Was it true? He didn't compare his apprentice to the others, did he?

But he pushed the guilt away. "That's not the point," he muttered. "You'll be missing the next Gathering for this."

Brownpaw opened his mouth to snap back a reply, but then though better of it, and simply glared.

"I thought better of AmberClan," Acornpaw hissed. "I thought you were our allies! First LightningClan practically kills all our warriors, and now AmberClan is attacking us!" He dug his claws into the ground. "I'm glad to see that Shadowleaf nearly gave up his life just so he could be plunged back into another war!"

And then he spun around and took off into the forest. Tanglepath stared after him in shock. What did he mean "Shadowleaf nearly gave up his life"? He watched, wide-eyed, as the tabby apprentice disappeared into the forest on NorthClan's side of the territory.

"Well, at least we caught a lot," Sweetpaw said slowly.

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**A/N: Did you LOVE IT? HATE IT? Whichever it was-or even if it was just something in between-go ahead and leave me a review. :)**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	7. Chapter 6: Scarred

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Late :P Sorry. But to make up for it, the chapter's up! ^^ And now, you get the rest of the story-well, the story of the battle, anyway. Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 6: Scarred**

Silvertail slipped inside the medicine den. It was dark and cool inside, but enough light spilled in that she could make out the forms of individual cats. Closest to the entrance was Ravenheart, who, despite numerous protests, had been confined to his nest in the den until his sprained paw had healed. Just beyond him was Stormstar. The NorthClan leader still hadn't fully recovered from the loss of his fifth life.

Furthest back in the den, face swathed in a marigold poultice and heaps of cobwebs, was Shadowleaf. His mouth barely parted, he groomed his fur with his tongue. The squirrel in front of him lay untouched.

"Shadowleaf," Silvertail greeted him quietly as she padded up. She frowned down at the squirrel. "Why aren't you eating?"

He turned his head to look at her. She forced herself not to shiver at the stark contrast between his dark fur ran the pale cobwebs of his face. This was the first time she had come to see him since the battle. Before then, the poppy seeds that Featherstorm used to keep the pain down had made him too tired to stay awake, so he slept for much of the time. Besides that, Featherstorm would not allow any visitors.

"I'm not hungry," he said. When he spoke, his voice came out as little more than a whisper; the cobweb bandages prevented him from opening his mouth very far.

"If you don't eat, you'll waste away to nothing," Silvertail scolded him gently. "At least try."

"I'll get squirrel fur in the cobwebs," Shadowleaf murmured. "And that will only get Featherstorm mad at me."

"Talking will get Featherstorm mad at you, as well."

Silvertail jumped and looked over her shoulder to see her white-furred sister standing there, a fierce look in her eyes. "If you keep talking, you're going to mess up your cobwebs, and then I'll have to redo them, and if I have to redo them one more time, because of some careless mistake on your part, I might just shove deathberries down your throat."

"Featherstorm!" Silvertail gasped, staring incredulously at her sister.

The pure white medicine cat rolled her eyes. "Relax, Silvertail, it's only a joke. A medicine cat's first duty is to _protect_ her Clanmates, not kill them, remember?"

Silvertail grumbled to herself, but said nothing more about it, instead turning back to Shadowleaf. "How did it happen?" she asked softly.

Shadowleaf opened his mouth to respond, but Featherstorm cut him off before he could. "I said no talking!" she snapped. "Get someone else to tell you the story."

"I'll tell it." Ravenheart suddenly appeared at Silvertail's side, gingerly holding one paw, probably his sprained one, off the ground.

Featherstorm hissed in annoyance. "Is every cat in my care going to deliberately disobey me today? You're not supposed to be on your paw!"

"I'm not!" Ravenheart exclaimed defensively. "See? It's _off_ the ground!"

"Listen to her, Ravenheart," Silvertail chastised him. "The last thing you need is to hurt yourself. You can tell me the story from your nest."

Ravenheart grumbled something under his breath, but hobbled back over to his nest anyways. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "Poolsong and I thought we'd refill the fresh-kill pile for the morning patrols, and Sunstripe, Graypaw, and Mistypool had nothing better to do, so they came along. We were headed toward the TreeClan border, and we were about halfway between TreeClan and AmberClan when Graypaw heard something. We assumed at first that it was just prey, so we stopped to see if Graypaw could catch it.

"Suddenly, Volefang's big brute of an apprentice, Pantherpaw, came out of nowhere and started attacking Graypaw. I was closest, so I grabbed him and threw him off." Ravenheart's face darkened. "That's when things got bad. Foxstar appeared out of the undergrowth, and she had about a million warriors with her. I'd never even seen some of them before. Most of them smelled like crowfood, but they probably did that to hide their scent. Anyway, as soon as Foxstar showed up, we realized we were in for a fight, so Sunstripe told Poolsong to run back to camp to get more warriors. When she started running, Blackpelt and Heatherfur tried to cut her off, but I managed to stop them.

"Then Foxstar said, 'Listen up, NorthClan scum. We're here to take your territory. You have two options. Give up now and submit willingly, or fight us and lose.'

"Sunstripe told her, 'As long as a single warrior still stands, NorthClan will not give up.' And that's when Foxstar ordered the battle.

"Things weren't going well," Ravenheart went on. "There were only four of us, and as many LightningClan warriors as there are trees in the forest. Things just got worse and worse until Poolsong got back with Stripefur and the other warriors. I was fighting Coalfur, Songfire, _and_ Spiderpaw, but Stripefur managed to get Coalfur away from me, and I could handle the other two on my own.

"But things still weren't going well. We managed to send a few of the LightningClan warriors slinking off to their nests, but we were still losing. I pulled Pantherpaw off Graypaw and told her to go get more warriors, and then I was right back in the battle.

"We had to wait a while before Graypaw got back. Moonshadow had to fight off two warriors he didn't recognize who tried to stop her from getting to the camp. When she finally got back, things were even worse than before. We were slowly getting pushed back through the forest, closer to the camp, and we were all afraid that we'd have to fall back and defend the camp as best we could.

"Then Graypaw showed up with Stormstar, Topazfur, and Twilightsky. It was only three extra warriors, and it didn't do much to help."

Ravenheart paused for a moment. "I don't know what happened next. All I know is that I saw Shadowleaf leaping through the air towards Foxstar, and she had Stormstar pinned with her teeth in his throat."

"That was my fault," said Stormstar suddenly. Silvertail jumped in surprise. She'd thought that the NorthClan leader was asleep. Apparently not.

"I got careless," he admitted. "The first enemy I went for when I showed up in battle was Foxstar, but Darkfur cut me off. We fought for a while, and I managed to get him pinned, but he wriggled away and ran off before I could do any serious damage. Then I got cocky. Darkfur's not an easy enemy to beat, and I stood there for a moment to gloat. That was my mistake. Before I could do anything else, Foxstar came out of nowhere. She hit me in the side with her head, and pinned me down on my back.

"She had her claws in my chest, and she said, 'Your warrior said that as long as a single warrior stands, NorthClan will keep fighting. I wonder how well your Clan would fare without their brave and noble leader.' Then she got her teeth in my throat, and I blacked out. The last thing I saw was something big and black coming at us, and then I woke up—." He broke off as his voice cracked, and began to cough. The fit racked his whole body.

Featherstorm dashed over, chewing up some berries and spitting them out onto a leaf. "Eat the berries," she murmured in his ear. "And no more talking for you today. SkyClan can keep you from dying, but they can't heal that wound in your throat."

A whispering, choked voice spoke next. "I saw Foxstar holding Stormstar down." Silvertail's head jerked to the right, and she saw Shadowleaf speaking, his eyes shut tight with pain. "I couldn't… I couldn't just let her kill him. I knew she would, if I didn't do something."

Nobody said a word. Not even Featherstorm raised her voice to protest.

"So I jumped," he mumbled. "She had her teeth in Stormstar's throat, and I jumped at her. I guess my aim was a little off, because I crashed into her face first. I felt something in my jaw snap, but I ignored it and kept fighting. Then Darkfur was there, and he was pinning me down while Foxstar clawed at my face. There was pain everywhere, and I couldn't open my eye, and that whole half of my face was bloody, and finally, Topazfur dragged Darkfur off me, and Twilightsky took care of Foxstar, and that's all I really remember of the battle."

"Not much happened after that," said Ravenheart grimly. "Every warrior fighting for NorthClan seemed to fight harder after they saw what happened to you and Stormstar. I'm pretty sure every cat was watching. After Topazfur got Darkfur off you, we all went back to fighting, but we fought harder than we'd ever fought before, and somehow we managed to drive them off."

Ravenheart looked over at Stormstar, his father. Silvertail was suddenly reminded of the relation between them as she stared at their identical black pelts, the only difference being Ravenheart's amber eyes and Stormstar's navy blue ones.

"Before she left," Ravenheart said slowly, staring at Stormstar, "Foxstar's last words were, 'Tell your pathetic excuse for a leader that this isn't over until one of us falls. And it won't be me.'"

Stormstar said nothing. Featherstorm wouldn't let him.

"She must think that she's the leader of LightningClan, so she heads one side of the war, and you head the other," Silvertail murmured. "Maybe that's why she's fought so hard against NorthClan. Harder than she's fought against any other Clan."

"Maybe," Ravenheart agreed.

Featherstorm had turned away from Stormstar and was inspecting the cobwebs on Shadowleaf's face. "You've messed them up," she informed him. "I'm going to have to redo them." She glanced over at Silvertail. "You might want to leave."

"No," Silvertail objected. "I'll stay."

"You don't want to see it," Ravenheart murmured, quietly enough so that Shadowleaf couldn't hear. "It's pretty gruesome."

Silvertail swallowed, quavering for a minute, and then sighed. "All right. I should be getting back to the kits anyways." She walked back over to Shadowleaf, gently licking the ear on the side of his face that hadn't been injured. "Get better soon," she whispered, and then left.

A commotion out in the camp attracted her attention. Several warriors were gathered around Topazfur, whose teeth were bared in a snarl. Silvertail hurried over to Stripefur. "What's going on?" she asked. "Why's Topazfur so mad?"

"He and his patrol found a dead squirrel on our territory," Stripefur answered, his voice clipped and angry.

Silvertail blinked. "Did a badger or fox get it?"

Stripefur laughed humorlessly. "Oh yes. A fox got it all right." He turned to face her, his sky blue eyes furious. "Fox_star_, that is. It was killed by LightningClan."

That night, when Silvertail woke from a nap, she saw Rainkit standing in front of his siblings. The three others were laying down, and Breezekit and Cloudkit were staring up at their brother attentively, but Leafkit just looked bored.

"So are we all clear on the plan?" Rainkit demanded.

"Perfectly!" Breezekit nodded seriously. "We'll sneak out of camp through the weak spot behind the warriors' den, and then sneak through the forest, and then sneak onto LightningClan territory, and then sneak into LightningClan camp, and then sneak into Foxstar's den, and then we'll kill her."

"And then our father will be avenged!" Cloudkit added fervently.

Leafkit sighed. "You three are idiots. We'll never avenge him that way. We have to wait until we're warriors, or at least apprentices, when we can face Foxstar in battle."

That started a whole new argument, and Silvertail felt her heart fill with both love and sadness before breaking it up.

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**A/N: Ooooh, Foxstar, bad kitty! Make sure you let me know what you think-leave a review!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	8. Chapter 7: Best Friend

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Yay, on-time post! But it's a filler. XP Oh well. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7: Best Friend**

Laughter filled Tanglepath's ears as he bounded after Wishsong. He spotted her tail disappearing into a field of flowers, and, grinning, he ran after her.

A butterfly floated past in Tanglepath's vision, distracting him for just the slightest moment. Then, suddenly, the ground disappeared in front of him. One of his paws slipped over the edge of the crack, and he just managed to pull it back and stop his forward movement before he could plummet downwards to his death.

His eyes widened. He had been chasing Wishsong… And he'd followed her here… To this crack… What if she'd fallen in? His eyes swept the far side of the crack.

"Tanglepath!" Wishsong's voice filled him with relief, and his head snapped over to see her standing on the other side of the crevice. "What are you doing so far over there? Come on!"

Tanglepath started to back up so that he could get a running start to jump over to join her, but a distressed cry broke into his head. "Tanglepath!"

He whirled to see that another crack had opened up behind him, and Smallstar was clinging to the edge. "Help!" he cried desperately. Tanglepath started to step towards him, but then stopped as a third voice reached him. Turning, he saw Hawkwing, standing across another crevice. Her mouth opened, and she said, "Go straight to your den and speak nothing of this to the other warriors."

Then a voice spoke from right beside him. "Tanglepath, are you okay?"

He turned, frustrated, to face Shadefoot, who was standing next to him. "No, I'm not okay!"

"Tanglepath," Shadefoot said, frowning, "wake up!"

Tanglepath's forehead creased in confusion. "What?"

"Wake up!" Shadefoot repeated, but now his voice seemed to be disjointed, not connected to his body in any way, and Tanglepath was suddenly thrown from his fitful sleep, and looked up into the face of Shadefoot.

His friend's face was concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked, a bit worried.

Tanglepath swallowed hard, pushing himself to his paws. His nest had been torn to shreds, and more than one cat was glaring over at him. He spotted Hawkpool, one of the older warriors, turning away and muttering, "Can't a cat get a decent night's sleep around here?"

Guilt flooded Tanglepath as he turned back to Shadefoot. "I'm fine," he mumbled. "Just a bad dream."

Shadefoot looked sympathetic. "I know how that is. I used to get them all the time, when I was an apprentice. I had the strangest dreams, and they all seemed to be following some strange sequence of events, but I could only see parts. I would see Smallstar leading the Clan into battle, and then I would see his jaws bathed in blood, but I couldn't tell whose blood it was." The gray-furred tom shuddered at the memory. "They were terrifying."

Tanglepath only nodded sympathetically. How could he explain his dreams to Shadefoot? Ever since he'd been a kit, he'd had confusing dreams where he'd been forced to make a choice, to choose between cats, or paths, or Clans. And that was what his whole life came down to, wasn't it? Hadn't he been forced to choose between Silvertail and Wishsong? Family and true love? NorthClan and AmberClan?

"I'm gonna go outside," he told Shadefoot, picking out a few bits of moss from his fur and heading for the entrance to the den. Even after these moons, he still wasn't used to the way that AmberClan cats built their dens, with dried mud and sticks to make walls and ceilings. It was strange, and very different from the NorthClan dens, which were dug into the ground, with short tunnels leading from the outside.

"I'll come with you," Shadefoot said. He stretched his shoulders and followed Tanglepath out into the main clearing of the camp. "I'm not going to be able to sleep, anyways. Silverdusk went into labor last night."

Tanglepath was surprised. Silverdusk, Shadefoot's mate, had been heavy with kits for the past two weeks or so, though Eaglefur hadn't thought that their kits would be due for another week.

"Aren't the kits a little early?" Tanglepath asked.

Shadefoot looked anxiously down at his paws. "That's what I'm worried about," he confessed. "I'm afraid that since the kits are so early, they'll end up deformed. Or worse..." He hesitated. "Dead."

Tanglepath couldn't help a small smile. Though Shadefoot's concerns were valid, they were the same worries that Tanglepath had heard from dozens of expectant fathers, and he wasn't surprised that Shadefoot had voiced them.

He touched his nose to the gray tom's shoulder. "Don't worry," he reassured him. "Your kits are going to be perfect. With parents like you and Silverdusk, they'll be wonderful warriors, too."

Shadefoot shot him an apologetic look. "I sound like every other soon-to-be father ever, don't I?"

"Just a little," Tanglepath teased him. Shadefoot rolled his eyes.

"Look," the other warrior said, looking out around the camp. "Neither of us are going to get back to sleep, so why don't we go out for a patrol?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Tanglepath agreed. "Hunting, or should we just check the boundaries?"

"How about a bit of both?" Shadefoot flashed him a smile. "We can check the borders, and if we just _happen_ to come across a bit of prey, well, who's to say we can't stop and catch it?"

Tanglepath grinned. "I like the way you think."

As the two headed out the camp entrance, Tanglepath marveled at what it felt like to be friends with someone who he wasn't related to. In NorthClan, not counting Wishsong, his closest friend had been Silvertail, who was his sister. As an apprentice, his only real friends were his siblings. Now, though, he seemed to have found his first real, non-family friend.

And Shadefoot was the perfect choice. The gray AmberClan warrior was brave, loyal, trustworthy, and caring—all of the qualities one would look for in a friend. On top of that, he stuck to the warrior code like glue, but wasn't afraid to accept Tanglepath and Wishsong even though they had broken the warrior code by meeting together. Shadefoot had been one of the first to truly accept them as warriors of AmberClan, and, as if that wasn't enough, he had devoted nearly an entire moon to teaching Tanglepath and Wishsong the ways that AmberClan warriors hunted and fought. Tanglepath truly liked the gray tom, and he found that he was just as excited for the coming of his kits as Shadefoot himself was.

"Race you to the NorthClan border," Shadefoot challenged him, a playful glint in his eyes.

"You're on!" Tanglepath shot back.

Shadefoot laughed, and then, with a fierce yowl, he took off into the forest. Caught off guard by the amber-eyed tom's sudden charge, Tanglepath was a few seconds late following, but he quickly caught up.

They raced through the forest, sending fallen leaves flying up into the air as they dashed past. Tanglepath knew that they were probably scaring away all the prey, but he couldn't help laughing anyway.

A bit of light appeared in the distance between the trees. Tanglepath knew that the clearing surrounding a bit of the river was up ahead, and he pushed his muscles even harder than before, practically flying across the ground. He pushed ahead of Shadefoot, and then burst out into the clearing. He let out a triumphant yowl, but his momentum wouldn't let him stop, and he ended up flying into the river.

For a moment, he was suspended in nothingness. The only sound was that of the water rushing by in his ears. He could only see the water, and the riverbed around him, and a few rocks. At the bottom, he thought he saw a fish swim by erratically.

Then his body carried him upwards, and he broke the surface face first, coughing to clear his lungs of the water. Shadefoot appeared, skidding to a stop just at the edge of the river to stop himself from falling in, and then grinned when he saw Tanglepath's predicament.

"Looks like you decided to take a dip!" he joked.

Tanglepath grimaced, spitting out a bit of water and then dragging himself up onto the bank. He shook the water out of his fur, smirking when he saw Shadefoot leap back in order to avoid getting sprayed by the water droplets that went flying from Tanglepath's coat.

"Watch it!" Shadefoot exclaimed.

Tanglepath shot him a dry look. "You'd be shaking yourself off too if you'd fallen in."

Shadefoot seemed unable to resist breaking into another grin. "But I didn't fall in. That's what you get for not slowing down at the end."

"At least I won!" Tanglepath shot back. "You said 'to the river.' You never even actually made it in the river!"

Shadefoot snorted. "When I say 'to the river,' Tanglepath, it doesn't mean, 'First one to drown himself wins.' It means, 'first to the river.'"

Tanglepath glared at his friend. "Haha, very funny, Shadefoot. Let's see how _you_ like it in the water."

Shadefoot's eyes widened in alarm. "What are you gonna—" He was cut off as Tanglepath's head rammed into his side, sending him flying over the edge of the riverbank and into the rushing stream.

He fell in with a loud splash, and disappeared under the water for a moment or two. Finally, he popped up a few tail-lengths downstream, the current having carried him. He glared at Tanglepath, water streaming from his pelt. "Oh, it's on, now!"

He ran up, and Tanglepath started to back away, but Shadefoot managed to get his teeth in Tanglepath's scruff, and dragged him back into the water. Tanglepath let out a yowl of alarm, and lashed out with his front paws, just managing to cuff Shadefoot around the ears.

The AmberClan warrior hissed, and reared up. Tanglepath knew this move—Shadefoot himself had taught it to him. The AmberClan warriors called it "the descending blow." You were supposed to rear up, and then come crashing down on your opponent. It could be a move that would win a battle, especially in a stream like this, where a warrior's opponent would be desperate to get out of the water.

Lucky for Tanglepath, Shadefoot had also taught him the counter-attack, and he darted forward before Shadefoot could come down on him. He swept Shadefoot's hind legs out from under him, and then rolled out of the way, managing to thoroughly soak himself again in the shallow water near the river's edge.

Shadefoot came crashing down in the stream, sending a splash of water up around him. Tanglepath dove through the splashing water and pinned Shadefoot down from behind, his paws planted on the other warrior's shoulders. Shadefoot growled—Tanglepath could feel it vibrating through his paws—and surged upwards. Tanglepath's paws slipped off of Shadefoot's slippery pelt, and then the gray warrior whirled around to face him.

They circled each other for a few moments, their eyes narrowed. Through the slits of Shadefoot's eyes that Tanglepath could still see, he noticed that same playful glint from earlier, and was reassured in knowing that his friend wasn't _really_ fighting.

Then, suddenly, as if they had both had the same thought, they both reared up, teeth bared in a snarl, and their paws came crashing forward to meet each other. They grappled for a few moments, their paws slipping with each other. Tanglepath could feel his hind legs being dragged backwards by the current of the river.

Suddenly, he was startled by a surprised cry from the riverbank. "What in the name of SkyClan—?"

Tanglepath looked away from his opponent, and it gave Shadefoot just the opening he needed. He pushed with his front paws, and Tanglepath went toppling backwards. He landed hard on the pebbly bottom of the river, knocking the breath out of him. The stones dug painfully into his back.

Shadefoot pinned him down while Tanglepath was still winded. He stood over the former NorthClan warrior with a triumphant look on his face. "Hah!" he gloated. "I win!"

"What are you _doing_?" demanded the same voice from before. Finally getting his breath back, Tanglepath turned his head and was just able to see Speckledfur standing on the bank, staring at them in shock.

Shadefoot grinned. "Don't worry, Speckledfur, we're just having a bit of fun. It was all sport, wasn't it, Tanglepath?" He helped Tanglepath get to his feet.

"Yeah," Tanglepath panted. "Tons of fun."

Something dawned in Shadefoot's eyes. "Wait, Speckledfur, shouldn't you be with—"

Speckledfur cut him off. "Silverdusk? Actually, that's exactly what I came here about." Her eyes sparkled with joy. "Shadefoot, would you like to come with me and meet Berrykit?"

Shadefoot frowned. "Who's Berrykit?"

Speckledfur grinned at him. "Why, your daughter, of course."

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**A/N: Oh, silly Tanglepath and Shadefoot. This chapter was a lot of fun for me to write. I just kinda let it flow so I could see what happened, and I was really happy with the way the chapter came out. :)**

**On another note, where did my reviewers go? Come on, guys, I know you can squeeze out one measly little review! If you've bothered to fave and alert, why not leave me a review, too? It makes me happy! And it inspires me to write! So leave me a note telling me what you thought! Thanks~**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	9. Chapter 8: Happenings

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Fillerrrrrr :P Sorry it's late, I would have had it up on Friday, but I got busy and didn't have time, and I've been trying to post since Saturday, but the stupid thing hasn't been letting me. :P**

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**Chapter 8: Happenings**

The morning two days later dawned bright and cheery. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as Tanglepath stepped out of the warriors' den that morning. It was close to sunhigh, but he had been permitted to sleep later since he had led the midnight patrol the night before.

Now, he stretched, reveling in the wonderful feeling of the sun on his back. Newleaf was full upon the Clans now, and the plentiful prey, along with the warm sun, brought happiness to AmberClan.

"Hey, Tanglepath!" Wishsong's call drew Tanglepath's attention to his mate, who stood across the camp with Brownpaw at her side. "Come on, we've been waiting for you! Hawkwing wants us to take the sunhigh patrol!"

Tanglepath jogged over to join them. "Is this all of us?" he asked.

Wishsong nodded. "You, me, and Brownpaw, that's what Hawkwing said."

"All right then, let's get going," Tanglepath said assertively. He led the way across camp, but stopped when he realized that there was some sort of commotion inside the nursery. He paused and ducked his head inside, concerned for his best friend's mate, and saw that Shadefoot was standing over Silverdusk, his amber eyes wide with amazement.

"Shadefoot?" Tanglepath called. "What's going on?"

Shadefoot looked up. When he spoke, his voice was awed. "Oh, Tanglepath, it's amazing! Berrykit's opened her eyes! Come look!"

Tanglepath passed a swift apology to Wishsong for delaying them, and then slipped inside the nursery and walked over to his friend. He peered down at the small bundle of white and gray fur that lay next to Silverdusk. It still amazed him that something so small could grow and become as large as he or Shadefoot.

"Say hello to Tanglepath, Berrykit," Silverdusk murmured, nosing the little she-kit.

Berrykit looked up at Tanglepath, blinking slowly. Her eyes were a startlingly bright blue, and there was a deep flash of intelligence in those eyes. "Hello, Tanglepath," she said in a high, quiet voice.

"Isn't she wonderful?" Shadefoot looked like he was going to burst with pride.

Silverdusk rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing parents aren't allowed to mentor their kits, because you would spoil her so much that she'd never become a warrior!"

Tanglepath chuckled at that. "She's right, you know," he teased, nudging his friend with his shoulder.

Shadefoot shot him a dark look. "I would _not_ spoil her! I'd train her right, and teach her the warrior code, and hunting techniques, and how to fight…"

"But would you punish her when she made a mistake?" Silverdusk asked skeptically.

Shadefoot hesitated.

Smirking, Silverdusk said, "That's what I thought."

"Tanglepath, hurry up!" Wishsong's voice called from outside.

"I've gotta go," Tanglepath apologized, turning to Shadefoot. "But I'll come check in later." He peered down at Berrykit. "Goodbye, Berrykit."

"Goodbye, Tanglepath," the little she-cat responded, blinking sagely up at him.

Surprised and a bit shaken by Berrykit's already apparent intelligence, Tanglepath slipped out of the nursery, rejoining Wishsong and Brownpaw.

"Did she really open her eyes?" Brownpaw asked curiously, his eyes full of sincere wonder and amazement.

Tanglepath chuckled. "Yes, she really did. You can go look for yourself when we get back from patrol, as long as she's not sleeping and you don't have anything else to do."

Brownpaw bounced up and down with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Rolling his eyes at his apprentice's antics, Tanglepath led the way to the camp entrance, and then out into the forest. He waded across the river surrounding the camp without even the slightest hesitation, and Wishsong and Brownpaw followed.

"Where to, O Mighty One?" Wishsong asked, a teasing tone in her voice. Tanglepath shot her a weary glance. As of late, his mate had taken to calling him variations of "O Mighty One" and "O Holy One." She said she was just trying to come up with a nickname for him, but Tanglepath suspected that it was actually that she just wanted to annoy him.

"The NorthClan border," Tanglepath decided, turning his head in the direction of his birth-Clan. "We'll go along that border from north to south, and then take the LightningClan border."

"You're boss, O Smart One."

Tanglepath glared at her. Wishsong just giggled.

"Let's go!" Brownpaw whined.

Tanglepath looked back over at his apprentice, then nodded once and led the way to the NorthClan border. The three of them trotted through the territory at a steady pace. Tanglepath took the lead, with Wishsong at his shoulder on the right, and Brownpaw just a bit behind.

They reached the far corner of their territory when the sun was at its highest peak, and Tanglepath led them southward, heading towards LightningClan territory. The scent of NorthClan was strong in Tanglepath's nostrils. He shook his head, marveling at how strange the scent of his former Clan was now that he had spent all this time in AmberClan.

As they got closer and closer to Four-place, another smell made its way to Tanglepath's nose. He paused, frowning, and opened his mouth to taste the air. The scents of NorthClan flooded his senses, but beneath that, there certainly was something else.

Wishsong came forward to stand next to him, frowning as well. "Do you smell that?"

Tanglepath nodded. "It smells sort of… fishy."

"I think it's coming from over here," Brownpaw called. He was standing a few foxlengths behind them, nosing at a bunch of reeds at the edge of a nearby stream. He stuck his face in, and then pulled back, nostrils flaring in disgust. "Oh yeah, it's definitely in there."

Tanglepath went over and parted the reeds with his paw. Hidden among them was a dead fish.

"Oh no!" Wishsong exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You don't think some sickness got it, do you?"

Tanglepath took a closer look at the rotting fish. "No," he said, absolutely sure of it now. "This fish was killed by a cat."

Brownpaw looked confused. "But what AmberClan cat would leave a perfectly good fish lying here?"

"I don't know," Tanglepath responded, shaking his head. "But we're going to find out."

Suddenly, there came a greeting call from behind them. Tanglepath turned around to see two figures moving towards them. Under the strong, overpowering smell of Tanglepath's birth-Clan, he could identify at least one of the scents.

"Shadowleaf!" Tanglepath exclaimed happily, distracted from the problem of the dead fish.

He came to a sudden halt, though, as he approached the border. It was definitely Shadowleaf who was coming towards him, that much Tanglepath was sure of. But something had happened to him. Something had ruined his face, and rendered it almost unrecognizable. Tanglepath tried not to let his jaw drop.

A set of three, long scars ran down the left side of Shadowleaf's face. One of the scars passed right over Shadowleaf's eye, over the corner of his mouth, and down onto his chin. His left ear had been torn away, leaving only a bit behind at the base. His once handsome face had been turned into something horrid and terrifying. Brownpaw let out a squeak of fear, and back up into Wishsong, pressing himself to her leg.

Shadowleaf's good eye grew sad. The other one was dull and glossy in its socket, and it seemed incapable of seeing anything at all. "I snuck a peek in a puddle the other day. I know how bad it is."

Tanglepath tried to control his expression. "It's not really that bad," he lied. "I knew it was you right away."

Shadowleaf laughed darkly. "Oh, don't lie. I know how bad it really is."

Tanglepath swallowed. "Yeah, it is pretty bad."

"It's all LightningClan's fault," hissed the apprentice at Shadowleaf's side. "They did this to him, and then, as if that wasn't enough, they started stealing our prey."

Tanglepath was alarmed. "LightningClan's been stealing your prey?"

"Yes," Shadowleaf admitted. He shot a glare over at the apprentice. "Though Acornpaw here shouldn't have told you that."

Acornpaw seemed to realize his mistake, and he ducked his head, looking at his paws.

"What have they been stealing?" Wishsong asked, frowning.

"Everything," Shadowleaf spat. "Rabbits, birds, squirrels, mice… You name it, they've stolen it. Apparently no part of the warrior code is sacred to them anymore."

Tanglepath exchanged a swift glance with Wishsong, and saw immediately that they'd had the same thought: if LightningClan was stealing NorthClan's prey, then they might be responsible for the dead fish that they'd found on their own territory.

"I won't hold it against you if you tell Smallstar," Shadowleaf murmured. "I understand that it's your job. After all, you _are_ AmberClan warriors now. But I'd really rather that you keep this to yourselves. Stormstar will be furious if he finds out we've given away Clan secrets." As Tanglepath looked back at the NorthClan warrior, something in Shadowleaf's amber eyes told him that he wanted to say more, but couldn't.

Suddenly, Acornpaw raised his muzzle up in the air, sniffing. "What is it?" Shadowleaf asked him.

"Squirrel," Acornpaw informed him, and then slowly slunk off through the forest.

A trace of pride came across Shadowleaf's horribly mangled features. "He may be a bit impulsive and unable to control his mouth, but he's got the best nose I've seen in an apprentice in a long time."

"Wishsong," Tanglepath said, turning to his mate. She pricked up her ears, tipping her head to one side. "Take Brownpaw and go on ahead. I'll catch up in a little."

She nodded, a flash of intuition shining in her eyes. She obviously understood that Tanglepath wanted to know what it was that Shadowleaf wasn't telling him. She quickly stepped forward, touching her nose to his. "Be safe," she murmured, and then turned to Brownpaw and led him away.

Tanglepath watched her go, his gaze fond, and then turned to Shadowleaf. "All right," he murmured. "We're alone, now. What is it that you aren't telling me?"

Shadowleaf hesitated. "I really shouldn't tell you… Stormstar warned us that none of it should reach any other Clan's ears, that it was a private, Clan matter. Well, actually, he doesn't want us to talk about it at all. He doesn't believe a word of it."

Tanglepath sighed, though his interest was at its peak right now. "I understand. If you can't tell me, then don't. The last thing I want to do is get you in trouble with Stormstar." He started to turn away.

"No, wait!" Shadowleaf called. He took a step forward, standing just pawsteps away from the border. "Tanglepath… There are rumors going around the Clan… Well, to make a long story short, there are some cats in the Clan who think that an _AmberClan_ cat has been stealing our prey."

"AmberClan would never steal prey!" Tanglepath protested.

Shadowleaf squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, you see, Tanglepath, that's not all. Some of the warriors think that… They think that it was _you_."

Tanglepath froze, staring at Shadowleaf in disbelief. "How could they even consider that? I would never steal prey, and certainly not from NorthClan!"

"Well, you're the only cat who would have a reason to be on NorthClan's side of the border…" Shadowleaf said uneasily.

Tanglepath's eyes narrowed, and he hissed quietly. "How could you even _try_ and defend them? They think I'm breaking the warrior code!"

"You've done it before…"

"For love!" Tanglepath snarled. "For Wishsong. Wouldn't you do the same for Silvertail?"

Shadowleaf turned away, and all Tanglepath could see was the disfigured half of his face. For a moment, Tanglepath felt a flash of pity for his old friend, but it passed, and he hissed, "I would never steal prey, and especially not from you. If you had any sense, and if you trusted me at all, you wouldn't even have brought it up, because you wouldn't have had to question me about it." He turned away, his eyes flashing angrily. "Tell Silvertail I say hello."

Then he took off, running through the forest, and he didn't look back.

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**A/N: Angry!Tanglepath is angry. :) Review!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	10. Chapter 9: Muddled

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: So sorry about the delay! First I forgot for like three days, and then they shut down the log-in interface, so I couldn't get on, and by the time I remembered that I needed to post, it was Friday again, so I figured I'd just get back on schedule. :P**

**On another note, it's Friday! Friday! Gotta get down on Friday! ^.^ Enjoy the chapter!**

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**Chapter 9: Muddled**

As soon as he got back from the patrol, Tanglepath knew that he had to tell Hawkwing about Shadowleaf's accusations. If Stormstar confronted them about it at the next Gathering, AmberClan would need to be ready.

The camp was quiet when Tanglepath got back. Hawkwing was lying in the center of the main clearing with Shadefoot and Lightjay, who seemed to be giving some sort of report. When Hawkwing saw Tanglepath's patrol coming through the camp entrance, she beckoned to him with her tail. Tanglepath dipped his head in acknowledgement, and turned to speak to Brownpaw.

"I want you to go clean out the elders' den," Tanglepath instructed him. "New bedding, food, and don't forget to check them for ticks. After that, you can grab some fresh-kill for yourself and get some rest."

Brownpaw made a face. "Elders' den?" he whined.

Tanglepath lashed his tail irritably. Couldn't he simply obey an order Tanglepath gave him without any of his mouth, just once? "Yes, the elders' den," he snapped at his apprentice. "And if I hear anything more about it, you'll be doing the nursery and the medicine den, too."

Brownpaw looked rebellious for a moment, and his eyes flashed with a hint of resentment, but he said nothing, and simply turned away, stalking off to the elders' den.

When Tanglepath turned to Wishsong, there was a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "What?" he demanded, annoyed.

Her whiskers twitched. "Nothing. You shouldn't keep Hawkwing waiting. You'll only get her angry. Go talk to her."

Tanglepath rolled his eyes, but touched his nose to his mate's and turned away.

"We chased them off, though," Lightjay was saying just as Tanglepath came up to join them.

"Chased off who?" he questioned.

Lightjay bared his teeth in a snarl. "There were a couple of rogues who thought that they could get away with stealing our prey, but Leafpelt, Cougarfur, and I took care of _that_ little problem."

Tanglepath's eyes narrowed. "Is there anyone who _isn't _trying to steal our prey from us?"

The other three warriors frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about, Tanglepath?" Hawkwing asked.

Tanglepath quickly told them all about the dead fish they'd found, their meeting with Shadowleaf and Acornpaw on the NorthClan border, and, finally, what Shadowleaf had told him after the others had left.

His Clanmates were silent until he finished, but the moment that the last word had left his mouth, Lightjay exploded, "AmberClan would never steal prey!"

Shadefoot nodded. "And I don't believe that you would have done it, either," he added.

Hawkwing was staring at him seriously. "I would go tell Smallstar myself, but I think you should be there, as well."

Tanglepath hesitated. The last time that he'd had a private conversation with Smallstar was still fresh in his mind, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to have another.

"I'll go with you, of course," Hawkwing went on. Her ice blue eyes seemed to say: _Trust me. They don't know about Smallstar._

Finally, keeping himself from letting out a nervous sigh, Tanglepath nodded. "Okay. Should we go now?"

Hawkwing got to her feet, quickly licking the back of one of her paws and drawing it over her face. "Probably," she said. "This is important, and Smallstar needs to know." She turned away, starting for the leader's den, and Tanglepath followed her.

Hawkwing stopped outside their leader's den. "Smallstar?" she called.

For a moment, there was no answer, and Tanglepath half-hoped that Smallstar was asleep, but then the AmberClan leader called, "Come in."

Taking a deep breath, Tanglepath followed Hawkwing inside the den. Almost as soon as he was in, though, he wanted to turn and run back out. Smallstar's eyes were dull and glassy, and his fur was matted and dirty. Tanglepath could see the black-and-white tom's ribs through his skin. On top of that, the scent of crowfood filled the air, and Tanglepath saw that the smell was coming from a rotting mouse that lay in the corner of the den.

"Smallstar," Hawkwing said, sounding disappointed. She almost sounded like she was about to lecture him. "You haven't been eating again."

Smallstar waved his tail dismissively. "I'm not hungry." His voice came out croaking and hoarse.

"You still need to eat." Hawkwing gingerly picked up the crowfood in her teeth and set it down outside the den, calling for someone to take it away and bury it.

Tanglepath turned to look back at Smallstar. The Clan leader's fierce amber eyes were fixed on him. "Hawkwing," he growled, "why have you brought this enemy warrior into our Clan?"

Hawkwing looked over at Smallstar, alarmed. "Smallstar, don't you remember? You yourself agreed to make Tanglepath and his mate, Wishsong, warriors of AmberClan."

Smallstar frowned at her. "Of course I know that. Why would you bring it up?"

Tanglepath didn't know how Hawkwing did it, keeping up with Smallstar's mood swings and topic changes, but she smoothly changed her ton and the direction of the conversation. She quickly filled Smallstar in on everything that had happened on Tanglepath's patrol.

"And some of NorthClan think that AmberClan cats, particularly Tanglepath here, have been the ones stealing her prey," Hawkwing finished. "I don't know why they think that, but they do. How will we deal with it?"

Smallstar's eyes narrowed. "So, Stormstar thinks he can place false blame on my Clan." He sprang to his paws. "The Clan must be informed," he said stiffly, and walked out. Tanglepath and Hawkwing swiftly exchanged a glance that was full of alarm.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Treestump for a Clan meeting!" Smallstar's voice reached them from outside, where they knew he would be standing on a stump in the middle of the camp clearing that hadn't grown for generations.

Hawkwing and Tanglepath hurried outside, the deputy in the lead. They stood outside Smallstar's den, watching from a distance as the AmberClan warriors gathered around Smallstar.

The black-and-white furred leader stared down imperiously at the gathered warriors, and then began to speak. "I have just been informed by Hawkwing and Tanglepath of a horrible and unfair accusation made against our Clan," he growled. "NorthClan has accused us of stealing their prey!"

Shocked gasps ran through the Clan. While Smallstar waited for them to settle down, Shadefoot and Lightjay hurried over to join Tanglepath and Hawkwing.

"What's going on?" Lightjay whispered. "Did you tell him?"

"Hush," Hawkwing snapped. "Just listen, and then we'll talk."

"But there is more to it than just that," Smallstar went on, his voice lowering in tone. "Not only have they falsely accused us of breaking the warrior code and taking their prey, but NorthClan has been stealing _our_ prey!"

"_What_?" Shadefoot's jaw dropped.

Tanglepath was shocked. Next to him, he heard Hawkwing gasp, "No!"

"What's he talking about?" Lightjay hissed. "Tanglepath, you didn't say anything about NorthClan stealing our prey!"

"Because they _haven't_ been stealing our prey!" Tanglepath hissed back. "I don't know why he said that!" But deep down, Tanglepath had a sneaking suspicion that he knew _exactly_ what was going on. This was more than just Smallstar mixing up his facts or trying to stir up trouble with another Clan. It all started to fall into place—Smallstar's rapidly changing emotions, his trouble with staying on topic, and now this.

The AmberClan leader was going insane.

"How could they?" shouted Leafpelt, Lightjay's sister. Her amber eyes shone with anger. "Those traitors! And to think we've been standing with them against LightningClan for nothing!"

"We've been their allies since the beginning!" added Leafmoon, who was Brownpaw's mother. "Ever since Amberstar started this Clan and defended Northstar and his Clan against TreeClan! They owe us everything!"

Tanglepath felt a strong urge to leap forward and defend his birth Clan, to shout that it wasn't true, _couldn't_ be true, but Hawkwing shot him a sharp glance. "Don't do it," she hissed. She glanced over at the other two. "Come with me. Tanglepath, get Wishsong and bring her, too."

Tanglepath quickly caught Wishsong's dismayed gaze and signaled for her to come over to him. She quickly joined him, and he whispered, "Come on, Hawkwing wants to talk to us." He led her towards where Hawkwing and the others were waiting on the other side of the warriors' den, just out of sight of the rest of the Clan.

He sat down with Wishsong pressed against him, and met Hawkwing's eyes. "Maybe we should all get our facts straight, first."

Hawkwing nodded her agreement. "All right. First off, let's make sure everyone of us here knows this: NorthClan did _not_ steal our prey."

"Then why did Smallstar say they did?" Lightjay demanded. "He wouldn't lie to us!"

Hawkwing shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. But that's the problem. He _isn't_ lying."

Shadefoot frowned in confusion. "How can he be telling the truth if NorthClan didn't steal our prey? That doesn't make sense."

"Because he doesn't realize that it's not true," Tanglepath murmured. He looked into Hawkwing's eyes and saw that she was surprised to realize that he knew that.

"Yes," she said, sounding a bit shaken. "Tanglepath's right. Smallstar doesn't know that what he's saying isn't true. He believes every word of it."

"Didn't you tell him that it's probably LightningClan?" Wishsong asked, perplexed.

"Yes, we did," Tanglepath told her. "But Smallstar's mind has been failing for a while now."

"All right, Tanglepath," Hawkwing said, sounding a bit irritated now. "Mind telling me how you know these things?"

He looked over at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Hawkwing. It was just a theory at first, but everything that's happened lately, plus your reaction to everything he's been doing…" Tanglepath trailed off, shrugging.

"Wait, so he's _right_?" Shadefoot gasped, looking rapidly back and forth between Tanglepath and the AmberClan deputy.

Hawkwing sighed. "Yes. He is. Smallstar is losing his mind. Ever since Moonstar died last leafbare, he's gotten worse and worse. At first it was just little things, like remembering which mentor was training which apprentice. But then it got worse. He started mixing up litters of kits, and once he called me by the wrong name. But this…" Hawkwing glanced over her shoulder, towards the clearing where Smallstar was speaking. "This is the worst he's done so far."

"But he'll get better, won't he?" Lightjay looked worried, and it was the first time Tanglepath had ever heard him speak without anger or aggression in his voice.

The AmberClan deputy looked down at her paws. "I don't know," she confessed.

They were all nervously silent for a few moments.

"So what do we do?" Wishsong said finally, breaking the quiet.

They all looked to Hawkwing, but she hesitated. Tanglepath could see in her eyes that she honestly had no clue what they were supposed to do now, and someone had to take over before they could see her weakness.

"We fight for AmberClan," Tanglepath told them, straightening. He looked around, meeting each of their gazes in turn. They all looked surprised to hear the decision come from him, but he didn't let that stop him. "We can't back down, just because Smallstar is sick. We have to stick to the warrior code, and what does the warrior code say?"

"The leader's word is law," Shadefoot quoted quietly.

Tanglepath nodded. "Right. If Smallstar tells us to fight, we fight."

"But what if he tells us to fight NorthClan?" Wishsong murmured. "What if he tells us to do something that's wrong?"

Tanglepath closed his eyes, trying to strengthen his will, and then he opened them again. "First we try reasoning with him. And if that doesn't work…" He trailed off. "I think you all know."

"So we're fighting a war with our own leader," Shadefoot whispered.

"No." Hawkwing raised her chin, seeming to regain her strength. "We're not fighting any war. We're following the warrior code, protecting and preserving it like we all promised to do at our warrior ceremonies." She glanced around. "So it comes down to this: Who promises to stick to Smallstar's word, even if it means doing something we know is wrong?"

There was silence for a moment or two, and then Tanglepath spoke. "I do," he said, echoing the words apprentices said in their warrior ceremonies.

Recognition flashed in Wishsong's eyes. "I do," she agreed.

Lightjay and Shadefoot both said in unison, "I do."

Hawkwing nodded. "Then so be it."

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**A/N: Dramatic scene is dramatic. Leave a review!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	11. Chapter 10: Accuser and Accused

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Gah! I'm _so_ sorry for the delay! Just for that, I'll post an extra chapter as soon as I'm done posting this one! :)**

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**Chapter 10: Accuser and Accused**

The moon was full as it hung in the midnight sky. Tanglepath walked at the front of the group of AmberClan cats, next to Hawkwing, Shadefoot, Lightjay, and Wishsong. The five of them had formed a small group, lately. Since Smallstar's announcement, most of the Clan had been steadily preparing for war. The five warriors who knew the truth, however, had been steadily preparing to go against everything they had ever learned.

"I'm worried about tonight," Shadefoot murmured. His voice was just quiet enough that only the small group of warriors could hear him.

"We all are," Hawkwing growled.

As had become his habit, Tanglepath glanced around, feeling reassured when he saw that Smallstar still bravely led the Clan forward. There was something angry in the way he walked. The warriors and apprentices mirrored this anger, and they stalked forward as if someone had done them a great injustice. Which, in their minds, Tanglepath thought, someone had.

They all padded along together, trying not to let their small, clumped group look suspicious. Hawkwing walked in the front, with Tanglepath at her shoulder. Wishsong was just behind him, and Shadefoot and Lightjay walked on Hawkwing's other side. The forest was eerily quiet. Few warriors spoke.

"Almost there," Hawkwing murmured, just as Smallstar paused, stopping just outside the clearing that was Four-place. Hawkwing turned to face the four warriors that had trailed alongside her from the camp. "Remember, say nothing of LightningClan stealing our prey. And don't mention Smallstar or his accusations, either." They all dipped their heads in understanding.

Suddenly, the Clan started forward. Tanglepath looked up to see that Smallstar had disappeared through the brush that ringed Four-place, and the rest of the Clan was following. Hawkwing led them forward, and the five warriors pushed through the undergrowth and out into the clearing.

Immediately upon stepping out into the clearing, the group split up. Wishsong slunk off towards Coalfur, Shadefoot and Lightjay quickly settled down with some TreeClan warriors, and Hawkwing went off to join the other deputies at the foot of the Great Tree where the leaders sat.

Tanglepath scanned the crowd of cats that had gathered in the clearing. He immediately picked out a few cats he knew from the other Clans. His eyes narrowed as they landed on Shadowleaf. He could tell by the way that his head was bowed as he stood next to Topazfur, the golden-furred NorthClan warrior, that the story of his horrible scarring was being recounted to the TreeClan warriors they were talking with.

Tanglepath turned away from that, though. He had no interest in Shadowleaf or any of his friends.

Eventually, he settled down with a couple of the younger TreeClan warriors about his age that he knew, Sunflash and Leopardclaw. Sunflash's powerful golden shoulders and large black paws gave him away as a strong fighter. Leopardclaw was smaller, with a shinier pelt and slim legs.

"Tanglepath," Sunflash greeted him as he sat down.

Tanglepath dipped his head. "Hello, Sunflash. Is AmberClan the last to arrive?"

"It would appear so," Sunflash responded.

Leopardclaw's eyes flashed around the clearing, taking in everything that was going on. "AmberClan seems reluctant to be around NorthClan," she observed. "Usually I'd see Hawkwing and Stripefur chatting it up, but Hawkwing seems to be avoiding him."

Tanglepath glanced over his shoulder, towards the Great Tree. At its foot, Hawkwing was looking away distractedly as Stripefur spoke to the deputies.

"Is something going on?" Leopardclaw asked him. Tanglepath hesitated, not sure if he should respond or not, and, if so, how to respond. He was saved from responding, though, when a yowl came from the Great Tree. The head of every warrior in the clearing turned to face the leaders who stood in the tree.

Pebblestar was standing, the TreeClan leader's silver fur glowing in the moonlight. "The Gathering will now officially begin. TreeClan will go first. The training of our two apprentices, Owlpaw and Lambpaw, is continuing to progress well. Icetalon is close to her due date, and will give birth to Sootpool's kits very soon. Greenleaf is returning to our Clan, and it will not be long before our territory is rich with prey." She glanced around, eyes narrowed, and added, "But that does not mean that _any_ Clan has right to our prey, other than TreeClan itself."

"No cat would ever dream of stealing your prey," Stormstar assured her. His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings as they glanced angrily over at Foxstar. The LightningClan leader stood impassively, taking in everything that was said.

"Would you like to share next, Stormstar?" the gray she-cat asked him smoothly.

Stormstar's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure that it would be no problem at all." He stood up and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as an angry yowl rose from the Clans.

"Don't let that NorthClan scum speak before _our_ leader!" Tanglepath craned his neck to see Hawkpool, a fellow AmberClan warrior, standing at the front of the group. He bared his teeth in a snarl. "Smallstar has something to say to _you_, Stormstar!"

"Hawkpool, stop that!" hissed Shadefoot from nearby the other AmberClan warrior. "Let the leaders do their jobs!"

"Not until justice is served to those crowfood-eating prey-stealers!" Hawkpool snapped.

"Prey-stealing?" objected Acornpaw. Tanglepath could see him from his place where he sat. The tabby-furred apprentice was lashing his tail angrily. "What are you talking about? If anyone's prey-stealing, it's—" Shadowleaf slapped his tail across the apprentice's mouth. The young apprentice glared at his mentor.

"What is Hawkpool talking about, Smallstar?" Stormstar asked slowly, his eyes narrowed.

Smallstar stared coolly over at Stormstar, his amber eyes impossible to read. "Well, Stormstar. Perhaps you can explain that yourself."

"We've stolen no prey."

"So you say."

"Then you accuse us of this atrocity?"

"What if I do?"

"Then you would be incorrect." Stormstar lashed his tail. "What evidence do you have?"

"A fish, found on your border, that was covered in your scent," Smallstar replied. His voice was clipped. "Well, your Clan's."

"What reason would we have to steal your stinking fish?" demanded Topazfur, who sat near the base of the tree. His eyes were narrowed and his tail lashed angrily. "Everyone knows the only Clan stupid enough to eat that disgusting stuff is AmberClan!"

"He's going to get himself in trouble," murmured Sunflash. Leopardclaw nodded her agreement.

"Hush, Topazfur!" Stripefur snapped, sky blue eyes flashing.

"Told you so," Sunflash whispered.

"Hush!" Tanglepath hissed. "I'm trying to listen!" Leopardclaw's tail twitched, but other than that, she showed no signs of disturbance at Tanglepath's outburst.

"So you continue to deny my accusations?" Smallstar asked, narrowing his eyes.

Stormstar's voice was cool. "Yes, Smallstar, I do, for the simple reason that NorthClan would never steal prey."

"Is it true?" Sunflash whispered to Tanglepath, his amber eyes flashing with curiosity in the moonlight. "Did NorthClan really steal your prey?"

Tanglepath refused to answer.

"Does AmberClan have anything else to say?" Pebblestar asked awkwardly, obviously stepping in so as to avoid a fight between the two Clans.

"Silverdusk has kitted," Smallstar said, turning away from Stormstar and lashing his tail. "There is nothing more than that, though."

"Foxstar?" Pebblestar glanced over at the LightningClan leader, who just shook her head.

"No," she said. "Nothing for LightningClan to share at this Gathering." Tanglepath unsheathed his claws. He could swear he'd heard a touch of amusement, even _laughter_, in the gray she-cat's voice.

"What about you, Stormstar?" Pebblestar turned to the NorthClan leader.

"Nothing," he growled. "Nothing of importance, anyway. The prey is running better as we approach greenleaf. That is all."

"That ends this Gathering, then," Pebblestar said. With a swish of her tail, she leaped down from the Great Tree and started off toward TreeClan territory. Her deputy, Turtlefur, hurried after her.

Tanglepath spotted Hawkwing through the crowd, and he hurried forward, his whiskers anxiously twitching. When he reached her, he whispered, "What do we do now? Are we supposed to fight NorthClan?"

Hawkwing looked uncertain. "We'll do our best to avoid fighting. Even without his wits about him, Smallstar knows that fighting is not the way to end this conflict." She waved her tail. "Come on, the others are already leaving. We should go catch up to them."

Tanglepath nodded, and the two dashed off, quickly catching up to the crowd of AmberClan warriors pushing through the undergrowth on their way back to camp. Lightjay, Shadefoot, and Wishsong were waiting for them. The other three warriors looked anxious.

"This is terrible!" Wishsong moaned quietly. "I don't want to fight NorthClan!"

"Neither do I," Hawkwing agreed. "But we may not have a choice. Remember what I told you. Despite what we know, we still have to follow the warrior code. If Smallstar orders us to fight, then fight we must."

The others still looked uncomfortable with this decision, but Tanglepath quickly spoke up in Hawkwing's defense. "Can't you see?" he murmured, keeping his voice low so that none of the other warriors could hear him. "If we don't obey, we'll only be punished, and we can hardly try to make this better if we're confined to camp or stuck doing apprentice jobs. We have to obey Smallstar's orders, or we've got no chance."

"Tanglepath's right," Shadefoot said.

"I'm with you no matter what," Wishsong agreed, pushing her nose into Tanglepath's fur.

Lightjay lashed his tail. "I guess that doesn't leave me with a choice," he muttered. Tanglepath blinked in surprise. Would Lightjay really go against them? "But then again," the black-furred tom went on, "I guess I wouldn't be willing to give up the only friends I've got over something stupid."

"Then we fight," Hawkwing meowed solemnly, and the others could only nod in response.

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**A/N: I'll go post the next chapter right now!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	12. Chapter 11: Defendant

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Here you go! As promised!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Defendant**

Silvertail shot to her feet as soon as the warriors who'd gone to the Gathering set foot inside the camp. She immediately picked out Shadowleaf's scarred face, and frowned at the tension in his body. She hurried over to him.

"What happened?" she asked nervously. "No one got hurt, did they?" It was unlikely that any of the Clans had broken the sacred truce that lay upon Four-place whenever the moon hung full in the sky, but you could never be too sure.

Shadowleaf shook his head. "No, I—"

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey," Stormstar called from the Island, unknowingly cutting Shadowleaf off, "gather here by the Widestream for a Clan meeting."

Silvertail glanced over at Shadowleaf, her eyes wide with anxiety, but he didn't respond, so she just followed him over to the Widestream.

Something small bumped into her from behind, and she whirled around, glaring down at the little kit who stared up at her with sleepy eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Rainkit. His tiny jaw gaped in an impossibly large yawn.

"Go back to the nest," Silvertail scolded him. "Clan meetings are supposed to be for warriors, not nosy little kits."

"Acornpaw's out here!" Rainkit protested, digging his claws into the ground.

"Acornpaw meets the requirement," Silvertail said testily. "He's old enough to catch his own prey."

"Leave him be," Shadowleaf murmured softly in her ear. "He only wants to know what's going on. He probably wants to know as bad as you do. Maybe even more."

Silvertail glanced over at him, but, as usual, the sight of his scarred face brought guilt rising up inside her, and so she sighed. She couldn't resist anything he asked when he spoke to her like that. "All right, Rainkit, fine. You can stay."

"Really?" Rainkit gasped, staring up at his mother. He quickly chased his tail excitedly around in a circle a time or two before Silvertail scolded him, and he bashfully settled down next to her.

"What's going on, Stormstar?" demanded Mistypool, who hadn't gone to the Gathering. "Did something happen with LightningClan?"

Silvertail felt anxiety rise up inside her again. Had Foxstar said something about the prey-stealing? Or maybe Stormstar had said something, and there had been a fight, or—

"Not with LightningClan, no." Stormstar shook his head, his voice breaking into her thoughts. "With AmberClan."

The Clan was silent for a moment. Then, everyone began talking at once. Rainkit pawed at Silvertail's leg. "What's he talking about? I thought we were fighting with LightningClan, not AmberClan!"

"We are," Silvertail mumbled, confused. What had happened with AmberClan that would cause such a stir? Certainly there must be some sort of misunderstanding. She knew that some members of her Clan believed that it was actually AmberClan that was behind the stealing of their prey, but surely none of the warriors would be stupid enough to make any accusations aloud at a Gathering. Maybe an apprentice, then? She glanced over at Shadowleaf in hope of getting some answers, but her mate just stared ahead at Stormstar in stony silence._ Is he afraid of telling me?_

"But that doesn't make sense!" Rainkit protested, confused.

Silvertail started to respond, but Stormstar signaled for silence, so she just swept the little kit closer to her with her tail. What could have happened with AmberClan? NorthClan had been allied with them throughout the whole scandal with LightningClan and Foxstar, and even before that. Silvertail felt a chill run down her spine. Had AmberClan changed allegiances? Were they on LightningClan's side now?

"Stormstar, what are you talking about?" Mistypool stepped forward anxiously, away from Moonshadow. "Surely there must be some mistake."

Stormstar shook his head. "No, Mistypool," he whispered. "No mistake." For a moment, weariness seemed to drag him downwards, but he quickly straightened. Silvertail knew he was trying to look strong in front of the Clan. "AmberClan seems to be under the impression that we've been stealing their prey."

"Stealing—!" Moonshadow broke off, staring at Stormstar in disbelief. "That's ridiculous! We would never steal prey, and certainly not from our allies!"

"I know that," Stormstar responded, shaking his head sadly. "But Smallstar has made the accusations."

"How dare they?" growled Topazfur. "We've done nothing but protect their scrawny little hides. I say we flay them alive and leave their pelts out to dry. They don't deserve our friendship if this is how they're going to treat us."

"No!" Stripefur snapped, his voice more of a bark than a meow. His eyes were stern and harsh, and his mouth curved down in an angry frown. "Absolutely not! We will not respond with violence and anger to these accusations, no matter how much they may hurt, or how deep they may run. NorthClan will not fall to more violence. Not when we have the chance for peace."

"Then what do we do?" demanded Twilightsky. The black-furred warrior stood not far away from Silvertail, Shadowleaf, and Rainkit, his tail tip twitching. "How can we do anything but fight? If they wouldn't listen to us at the Gathering, they sure aren't going to listen to us now!"

"We wait for them to make a move," Stormstar answered definitively. "If they attack, we must defend our territory, and our kits. Though fighting would be wrong, we will _not_ roll over like beaten kittypets. We have a code to defend."

"We can't fight AmberClan!" Nightpaw wailed. "They're our allies! They're our _friends_!"

"Enemy Clans are _never_ our friends, you stupid apprentice," snapped Sunstripe. "Especially when they falsely accuse us of things like this."

Smokefoot bared his teeth at his former mentor and hissed. "Don't talk to her like that! Just because she's younger-"

"You should be treating _me_ with a little more respect, my former apprentice," Sunstripe growled. "Watch your tongue, unless you want it clawed out of your mouth."

"Not in front of the little ones!" Mistypool scolded as she shot a glance at Rainkit, who watched with huge eyes.

"That's enough!" Stormstar interrupted fiercely. "I won't have fighting between my own warriors. Put your claws away and save your quarrels for later. We have enough problems as it is."

"Well _I _for one," said Topazfur, "certainly won't have any problems with fighting those flea-bitten mongrels. I don't intend to let any cat get away with saying things like that about our Clan."

"I'm with Topazfur," Sunstripe meowed. His amber eyes flashed angrily. "If they're looking for a fight, they'll get one."

"No!" Silvertail turned to see that Stripefur had leaped onto the Island and was speaking to them all. "Don't you see? We know for a fact that LightningClan has been stealing _our_ prey. If AmberClan's prey is disappearing, then who's to say that it isn't LightningClan who's stealing _their_ prey, too?"

"Stripefur's right," agreed Graypaw. The little apprentice looked tentatively over at her mentor, Sunstripe, as if she was afraid that he might get angry for her statement. "If Foxstar ordered her warriors to steal from us, then maybe... Maybe Foxstar ordered her warriors to steal from AmberClan, too."

Silvertail realized almost immediately what Graypaw was trying to say. "And if Foxstar is behind both of the acts of prey-stealing…" she began.

"Then maybe fighting between NorthClan and AmberClan is exactly what she wants," Shadowleaf finished. Silvertail glanced over at him, feeling a rush of warmth at the thought that he knew exactly what she was trying to say. He gave her a small smile, tinged with a slight bit of sadness.

"Yeah," Graypaw mumbled shyly. She had obviously noticed the exchange between Silvertail and her mate. Silvertail blushed a bit.

Stormstar's eyes were narrowed in thought. "It's an interesting idea…"

"And it wouldn't be the first time Foxstar tried to mess with the Clans," Stripefur added.

"No, it wouldn't," Stormstar agreed. "And Foxstar has targeted NorthClan from the very beginning. Maybe she wants AmberClan to occupy NorthClan's attention while she brings in some less obvious plot."

"But who cares if LightningClan are really the ones stealing AmberClan's prey?" Emberheart asked. "Shouldn't we fight for our own reputations? Do you _want_ to be known as the Clan that steals prey?"

"We can't fight AmberClan!" Moonshadow protested. "AmberClan has been NorthClan's ally since the times of Northstar and Amberstar. Surely we can try talking to Smallstar and figure this all out."

"I don't think Smallstar is willing to listen to anything we say right now," Stormstar murmured.

"We could always just tell them about LightningClan," suggested Mintpaw.

Stripefur shook his head. "They wouldn't believe us."

"I've made up my mind," Stormstar broke in, his voice firm. "We can't just let this insult stand, but I refuse to attack them. Bringing the fight to AmberClan will only falsely prove our guilt, so we must do something else."

"What else is there?" demanded Topazfur. Silvertail could hear the frustration in his voice.

"We will wait for them to make _their_ move," Stormstar answered him. "If they want a fight, we'll give them one. If they want to work this out peacefully, though, then we'll solve it that way. And," he added, with a sharp glance at Sunstripe and Topazfur, "I won't have any arguing about it. We need to show a united front. We stand together in this."

"Thank SkyClan that Stormstar knows how to make his own decisions," Shadowleaf murmured, his breath ruffling Silvertail's ear fur. "Or else we would have _another_ war on our paws." Silvertail nodded in agreement.

Most of the warriors seemed to be satisfied with knowing that Stormstar had a plan to deal with AmberClan, so most of the cats began to trail away to their dens, weary from a day of hunting, training, or patrolling and the Gathering that had followed.

Suddenly, Rainkit sprung to his paws and dashed after Stormstar, who had started off towards his den. "Stormstar, Stormstar, wait!" he shouted.

Silvertail stood up, her tail twitching with annoyance. "Rainkit, what do you think you're doing? Get back here!"

Rainkit didn't hear her, though, and besides, it was already too late. Stormstar had already turned to face the little kit, whiskers twitching in amusement. "Yes, Rainkit? What is it? Shouldn't you be in the nursery with your mother and your siblings?"

Silvertail hurried over, grabbing her son by the tail and dragging him backwards, toward her. "I'm so sorry, Stormstar," she apologized quickly. "He insisted on staying for the meeting, and I tried to get him to come back to the nursery with me, but—"

Stormstar waved his tail dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Silvertail," he said, and looked down at her son. "So, Rainkit, what was so important that you had to come running after me to talk to me?"

Rainkit stepped forward boldly, away from Silvertail. "We want to help the Clan," he told Stormstar, his blue eyes flashing. "We want to fight. Me and Cloudkit and Breezekit and Leafkit."

"You can help the Clan as kits—" Stormstar started, but Rainkit cut him off, his tail twitching furiously.

"That's not what I mean!" Rainkit snapped. Silvertail hissed furiously. What was her son thinking, interrupting and shouting at an older cat like that? And Stormstar, _the leader_, no less! "We don't want to keep the elders calm by making them tell us stories, or help our mother clean up the camp while the warriors are off fighting! We want to fight Foxstar and Smallstar!"

"Stormstar already said that we aren't going to fight Small—" Silvertail started, but she couldn't finish, because Stormstar started to speak.

"You know that you can't fight until you're an apprentice," the NorthClan leader reminded him gently. "That's the rule."

"So make us apprentices now!" Rainkit demanded.

Stormstar sighed, and bent to touch his nose to Rainkit's ear, but the little, gray-furred kit pulled back angrily. "You can't be an apprentice until you're six moons old," Stormstar told him softly.

"I don't care!" Rainkit hissed. "We're part of NorthClan, too! We deserve to fight!"

"Rainkit," Stormstar murmured. "Do you know why we fight?"

"To protect the Clan!" Rainkit said, rolling his eyes as if this was the dumbest question he'd ever heard. Silvertail cuffed him over the ears. What had gotten into him? He was usually excitable and rambunctious, but she couldn't remember a time when he had ever been so disrespectful.

"There's more to it than that," Stormstar responded. "We fight not only to protect the Clan, but to protect the warrior code. We can't break the code in order to defend it at the same time. We'd be going completely against the thing we're trying to preserve. It would undermine everything we stand for."

The NorthClan leader finally seemed to be getting through to Rainkit, because his whiskers were twitching slightly, the way that they did when he was deep in thought. Finally, his tail drooped. "So… you're not going to make us apprentices."

"Not yet, no," Stormstar answered, shaking his head. "But it won't be much longer."

"We're only two moons old!" Rainkit wailed. "We have to wait for another four moons!"

"The time will go by faster than you realize," Stormstar promised him. He bent down again, this time touching his nose to Rainkit's. "Just out of curiosity, if you had to pick someone for your mentor, who would it be?"

Rainkit stared up at the big black tom for a few moments, and then finally said, "You, Stormstar."

Silvertail tried not to groan. Honestly, Stormstar was going to think she'd taught her kits nothing about the world.

But Stormstar only laughed. "Well, little Rainkit, I'll keep that in mind," he promised. He turned then, starting to head back to his den. "Sleep well!" he called over his shoulder.

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**A/N: And that's the end of the chapters for today. I'll have a new one up next Friday! Leave a review! :)**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	13. Chapter 12: Full Circle

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: So sorry about the little disappearance there! I got caught up in finals and all this end of the year stuff and completely lost track of time. To make up for it, though, you're going to get two chapters. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Full Circle**

"Silvertail, come on!" a voice whined in Silvertail's ear. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Silvertail groaned. Who in the world was trying to wake her up? She was in the middle of such a good dream, too. She'd been standing proudly in the middle of camp, watching as Stormstar named her kits apprentices and gave them new mentors.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open. That wasn't a dream. That was going to happen. _Today_.

It had been four moons since Shadowleaf and the others had returned from the Gathering with news of AmberClan's accusations. Since then, the kits had grown. They were now old enough and big enough to be apprentices, as they would be today.

Nightpaw, Blackpaw, and Graypaw were only a moon or so away from their warrior ceremony. It was a good thing, too, because once Silvertail's four moved into the apprentices' den, they would be as pressed for space as they had been for a long time.

"Silvertail!" Something landed hard on her back. "Get up!" It was Rainkit; she could tell by the voice.

"How am I supposed to get up with a kit on me?" Silvertail grunted, poking her son in the side with her nose.

He giggled, falling backwards off of her. "I won't be a kit for long!" he declared. "We'll all be apprentices soon!"

Silvertail smiled. She could remember her own apprentice ceremony. She and her siblings had been just as excited as Rainkit and the rest of her litter were right now. A feeling of longing and sadness filled her as she remembered herself and Tanglepath arguing with Smokefoot and Featherstorm as to whether Stripefur or Duskflame would be a better mentor. Oh, how she wished her brother was here to see her own kits now!

"I'm gonna get the best mentor of all of us!" Rainkit was declaring, having turned away from his mother to face his siblings. "I bet I'll get someone big and important, like Sunstripe or Stripefur!"

"Sunstripe's already got an apprentice, mousebrain," Cloudkit snapped. "And he was mentoring Ravenheart, too, before he became a warrior! He's not gonna take on _another_ apprentice!"

Rainkit scowled at his sister. "Well, I can still get Stripefur!"

"That's enough bickering," Silvertail broke in, rolling her eyes. "Come on, get over here so I can clean you all up for the ceremony. It must be nearly sunhigh already."

Only Leafkit managed to stay still while Silvertail groomed them. Scowling, she had to re-groom Rainkit and Cloudkit because as soon as she had finished, they leaped at each other in a play-fight.

"All right," she said sternly once she had finished with Cloudkit for the second time. "Now I don't want to catch any of you playing around like that again. The last thing I need to do is groom you all over—" She was cut off as the call for a Clan meeting came from outside.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here by the Widestream for a Clan meeting!"

Cloudkit let out a tiny squeak of excitement. "We're gonna be apprentices!" she squealed, and then tore out of the nursery. Rainkit and Breezekit weren't far behind. Leafkit, sighing, followed last, walking slowly and taking care not to mess up the careful grooming job that Silvertail had done. The silver she-cat smiled proudly. They may get into trouble all the time, but they were still her kits, and this was the day she'd been waiting for constantly for the past six moons.

Stormstar was waiting on the Island, and most of the warriors had already gathered together by the time Silvertail got out there. She spotted Shadowleaf on the other side of the group and started to make her way over to him, but was stopped as Stormstar started to speak again.

"There is a group of four kits among us," the NorthClan leader began, "that has reached its sixth moon. Breezekit, Cloudkit, Leafkit, and Rainkit."

Silvertail proudly watched her four kits step forward toward Stormstar. The leader smiled faintly as he stared down at the kits. "Breezekit," he began the second part of the ceremony, "from this day forward, you will be known as Breezepaw. Moonshadow. You will mentor this apprentice. I know I can trust you to set young Breezepaw on the right path."

"I'll certainly try, Stormstar," Moonshadow responded, smiling easily at his leader. He then bent to touch his nose to Breezepaw's. Silvertail felt a surge of joy. Who was there in the Clan that she could trust to take care of her kits more than her own father?

"Cloudkit." Stormstar summoned the small white she-cat forward with her name and a wave of his tail. She bounced toward the leader with excitement in her step. "From this day until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Cloudpaw. Your mentor will be Stripefur." Stormstar's gaze moved to the gray-striped tom. "Loyal deputy and dearest brother, I place this apprentice in your capable paws."

Stripefur rolled his eyes at all the formality and quickly finished his part of the ceremony as he and Cloudpaw touched noses before stepping back together. Silvertail was astonished. Moonshadow and Stripefur were both important members of the Clan. What had she or her kits done that would warrant such attention?

Stormstar didn't stop to address the issue, though. He just continued on with the rest of the ceremony. After all, there were still two more kits to make apprentices.

"Leafkit," Stormstar boomed in his deep voice. "From this day until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Leafpaw. As your mentor, I appoint Mistypool. Mistypool, this will be your first apprentice, but I know that you will push Leafpaw as hard or harder than her siblings."

"Of course, Stormstar." Mistypool reached forward to touch noses with Leafpaw. Silvertail continued to be amazed. That was three very important warriors out of the Clan—and they were all mentoring one of Silvertail's kits. There was still Rainkit left, though. Silvertail could see the slight dismay in his features. His siblings had all gotten wonderful warriors to be their mentors. Who was left for him?

"And now, last, but certainly not least…" A strange expression that Silvertail didn't quite understand crossed Stormstar's face, and he exchanged a brief look with Stripefur. "Rainkit. From this day forward, you will be known as Rainpaw. As for your mentor…"

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Stormstar took a leap forward, landing gracefully on the near side of the Widestream. "I will be your mentor," he declared, gazing down at the new apprentice.

Rainpaw's eyes widened in shock. Silvertail was absolutely floored. The Clan leader himself? Mentoring _her_ son? Was it even possible?

Gasps rose up from the Clan around her. "Stormstar's last apprentice was Sunstripe!" whispered Littlefeather in awe. "That was seasons ago!"

"I heard that," growled Sunstripe, shooting the elder a dirty look. Littlefeather just rolled her eyes.

Stormstar, having already touched his nose with Rainpaw's, managed to raise his voice over the crowd as he called, "That concludes the apprentice ceremony! You may all return to your duties!"

Rainpaw and his siblings were frozen in place, staring at Stormstar incredulously. "Y-you're really going to mentor me?" stammered the big dark tom.

"I wouldn't joke about that," Stormstar assured him.

"Oh, SkyClan," Rainpaw breathed. He whipped around suddenly to face his siblings, who were all still frozen in place next to their mentors. Rainpaw's whole body quivered in excitement. "My mentor is Stormstar!"

"Yeah, we heard," Breezepaw muttered, half-growling. "Congratulations."

"Don't be a sore loser, Breezepaw," snapped Leafpaw. "No one cat has a better mentor than any other cat. Every warrior has their own strengths and weaknesses, even Stormstar."

"Yeah!" Cloudpaw agreed, already quick to defend her mentor. "After all, Stripefur's just as good a warrior as Stormstar is!"

"All right, that's enough," Silvertail broke into the conversation. "There's no use in arguing over this."

"That's right." Silvertail turned her head to see Shadowleaf joining them. "You should listen to your mother."

"Which reminds me," Silvertail said suddenly, a thought sparking in her head. "Come here, all of you."

"But Silvertail!" Cloudpaw protested. "We have to go see the territory!"

"Humor your mother," Silvertail said. "This is important."

Rainpaw bounded over, excitement still bubbling inside him from the ceremony. Leafpaw, Breezepaw, and Cloudpaw followed behind their brother at a more subdued pace.

"Listen up, all of you." Silvertail stared down at her kits as they stared back up at her with wide eyes. "The world outside this camp isn't the safe place you're used to. Once you set foot into the territory beyond the camp walls, you'll be in a world that's much more dangerous. It's filled with hunger, starvation, cold, sickness, danger, and enemies. Each and every one of you will face all of those things, but remember." Here she paused and gave each of them a fierce look. "If you try to face these challenges alone, you will fail. SkyClan gave you brothers and sisters for a reason. Depend on each other, and trust each other, and never _ever_ let one another down, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Silvertail!" the four apprentices chorused. Silvertail closed her eyes, and then swept them all close with her tail.

"I'll always be your mother," she murmured so that only they could hear. "And I'll always love you, no matter what. Be strong, my little ones, and never give up."

"We won't, Silvertail," Rainpaw promised. His eyes were dedicated and strong. "I swear it. Even if we're facing the hardest thing in the entire world, we won't give up until we're dead."

"I'm with Rainpaw!" Cloudpaw said fiercely. Breezepaw nodded his agreement, and Leafpaw just stared at her mother solemnly.

"Good." Giving them all one swift lick on the tops of their heads, Silvertail stepped back. "Now go see the territory, and don't forget to have fun."

"We will!" Rainpaw jumped up and dashed over to Stormstar, who was still waiting for him. Silvertail rolled her eyes as the other three apprentices dispersed and eventually followed their own mentors out of the camp for the first time.

Shadowleaf came over to stand at Silvertail's shoulder. "That was a very nice speech," he murmured in her ear.

She blushed slightly. "I just… I don't want what happened to me to happen to them. One of my brothers is living in another Clan, I hardly ever speak to the other one, and my sister is so busy with her medicine cat duties that there's no point in even trying to talk with her."

Her mate just smiled. "I'm not criticizing you," he assured her. "It was a nice speech." His eyes roamed to the camp entrance, through which all four of their kits and their mentors had disappeared through. "They'll be great warriors someday, and it won't be because of me."

Silvertail turned her head and gently licked the scarred side of his face. "No, you're right," she murmured. "It'll be because of _us_."

* * *

**A/N: On that note... Onwards to the next chapter!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	14. Chapter 13: The Seed of Doubt

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: And here's the second half of your double update. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Seed of Doubt**

"All right, Brownpaw. What do you smell?"

The tabby apprentice raised his head to taste the air, his jaws parted slightly. After a moment or two, he reported, "Squirrel, frog, and… NorthClan." He growled out the last word.

Tanglepath glanced over his shoulder at Shadefoot. The other AmberClan warrior looked uncomfortable at Brownpaw's open hostility toward their long-time allies. "Well that makes sense that you would scent NorthClan," Tanglepath began, hoping to smooth away some of his apprentice's anger, "because—"

"Because they're lying, stealing, mange-ridden crowfood-eaters who can't keep their paws on their own territory!" Brownpaw interrupted him, teeth bared in a snarl.

Tanglepath's tail twitched irritably. Couldn't his apprentice let him finish a sentence, just once? SkyClan forbid that Brownpaw—even now, so close to his warrior ceremony—let him get in more than half a sentence. "No," he snapped, frustrated with Brownpaw's seemingly endless lack of respect. "Because we're near the NorthClan border, that's why!"

Brownpaw shrugged. "Whatever." He started off through the trees, heading for the border.

Tanglepath shot a desperate look over at Shadefoot. Ever since Smallstar's accusation at the Gathering four moons ago, there hadn't been a single cat outside of Hawkwing's small band of followers that trusted NorthClan. What could have been friendly meetings on the border had changed into encounters that had almost come to fighting more than once. Fishpaw—now Fishfin after his warrior ceremony—had gotten a nice little "V" shape clawed into his ear by Topazfur. His sister, Sweetstream, had only just managed to keep her brother from attacking back and turning the dispute into a full-blown battle.

The thought of warrior ceremonies reminded Tanglepath of Brownpaw's upcoming warrior assessment. His apprentice was far too old to still be in the apprentices' den, not to mention the fact that he was alone in there, so Hawkwing had decided to hold the young tabby's assessment in two days' time. Anxiety coursed through Tanglepath. Brownpaw was a skilled hunter and a powerful fighter, but was he ready to be a full warrior? His prejudice against NorthClan may get in the way of his judgment. But then, Tanglepath reflected, it wouldn't be the first time in the past four moons that an AmberClan warrior had reacted without thinking.

His attention was drawn back to the border patrol by a snarl only a few foxlengths in front of them. Alarmed, Tanglepath hurried forward to find Brownpaw crouching down, his tail whipping back and forth furiously as he confronted a NorthClan apprentice—Acornpaw, Tanglepath realized.

"Fishface!" Acornpaw jeered. "What's the matter? Afraid to fight me?"

"You wish, fat-fur!" Brownpaw shot back. "You're so scared that I'll come over there and claw your ears that your fur's falling off!"

Acornpaw hissed. "That's it, river-breath! I'm gonna rip your tail to shreds!"

"Bring it on, fatty!"

Tanglepath'd had enough. He couldn't let this go any further. If either one of the apprentices attacked each other, it would turn into a battle, and that was the last thing they needed right now. If Acornpaw was out here by the border, then Shadowleaf and the rest of a border patrol wouldn't be far behind. Tanglepath needed to stop this before they could start fighting for real.

"That's enough!"

Tanglepath was startled. That voice hadn't been his.

A silver tabby she-cat stepped out of the dense forest on the other side of the border, her green eyes flaring with anger. "Acornpaw!" she scolded the tabby NorthClan apprentice. "Shadowleaf sent you to come with me because he thought you could use a change of mentor, not so that you could sneak off and get into fights with AmberClan warriors!"

Tanglepath felt a rush of relief. "Don't worry, Silvertail," he said, stepping out of the undergrowth. "He's not quite a warrior yet."

Silvertail looked startled for a moment, but then her face lit up with joy. "Tanglepath!" She bounded forward, seeming to forget the border between them for a moment as she nuzzled her adopted brother excitedly. "Oh, I have so much to tell you!"

Tanglepath coughed uncomfortably. "Ah, Silvertail, the border…"

His sister's eyes widened. "Oh, of course! Sorry." She blushed slightly as she backed up until she was standing on the NorthClan side of the border. "I didn't mean to."

"It's all right." Tanglepath was definitely aware of Brownpaw's eyes on him. There was something like anger and betrayal in his apprentice's gaze. He could only hope that he could smooth it out before their review training session tomorrow, the last session they would have before his warrior assessment.

"I'm gonna go catch up with Shadefoot," Brownpaw grumbled. He gave his chest fur a couple licks, and then turned and stalked away, dangerously close to the border. Tanglepath restrained the urge to call after him to keep his paws on their side.

When he looked back at his sister, she had turned to Acornpaw. "Why don't you go pick up that rabbit you caught and take it back to camp? I'm sure Shadowleaf will be impressed. That thing's nearly as big as you are!"

Acornpaw shot a suspicious glance over at Tanglepath, as if he thought there was more to what was going on than what either of the siblings had said, but he dipped his head to Silvertail anyway and turned to slink off into the forest.

Silvertail turned to Tanglepath. "Finally, alone." She looked relieved. "So much has happened."

"I really shouldn't stay long…" Tanglepath trailed off, glancing over his shoulder. He needed to catch up with Shadefoot and Brownpaw. They still had to patrol the LightningClan border.

Silvertail's face fell. "O-oh… Well… My kits are apprentices."

That caught Tanglepath's attention. "Really? That's great! Who are their mentors?"

Silvertail laughed a bit nervously. "You'll never believe it. I still find it hard to believe."

"Oh, come on," Tanglepath teased her. It was so easy to fall into their old routines of close friends, even though they hadn't shared a conversation like this since he and Wishsong had left their Clans. "How bad could it be?"

His sister shook her head. "It's not bad. It's good. Very good."

"So tell me, then!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "All right, all right. Impatient as always, I see. Some cats would think you actually were related to Featherstorm and Smokefoot with the way you go about trying to get information."

"Silvertail!" Tanglepath complained. "You're changing the subject!"

"Calm down!" she laughed. "All right. Breezepaw's mentor is Moonshadow, Leafpaw's is Mistypool, Cloudpaw's is Stripefur, and Rainpaw… Rainpaw's mentor is Stormstar."

Tanglepath's jaw dropped, and he struggled to control himself. "Y-you're kidding!"

"Not even a little," she said seriously. "I didn't believe it at first myself. Shadowleaf felt the same way."

Tanglepath felt a twinge of anxiety at the memory of the fight he'd had with his sister's mate. "I can't believe it," he said as he shook his head and pushed away the thoughts of Shadowleaf.

"Neither can I," Silvertail agreed.

"They'll be great warriors, I'm sure," Tanglepath told her. "They've all got great mentors, and… and parents there who care about them." He tried to hide his hesitation and hoped that, if she did notice it, Silvertail would just pass it off as discomfort because of his dispute with Shadowleaf.

But his sister knew him better than that, he realized as Silvertail's eyes grew sad. "Tanglepath, you had parents there, too. Mistypool and Moonshadow may not have been your real parents, but they were close enough."

"I know." He looked down at his paws, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the soft ground beneath his feet. "But… I still wonder what it would have been like if they'd been with me. If they hadn't abandoned me. I don't even know what they look like," he confessed. He'd never spoken these thoughts aloud to anyone—not even Wishsong. His heart clenched with pain. Oh, what he would give if he could just see his parents one time and ask them why they had abandoned him!

"They didn't abandon you, Tanglepath." As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Silvertail clamped her jaw shut tightly, as if she'd said something that she didn't mean to.

He frowned, tipping his head to one side. "Silvertail, what are you talking about? Of course they did. What kind of parent would leave their kit behind on the forest floor, bleeding to death?"

Silvertail hesitated for a moment. Her face was the picture of internal conflict. She seemed to be struggling with some kind of decision inside herself. What it could possibly be, Tanglepath had no idea.

Finally, she sighed. "Tanglepath, do you remember, back when we were apprentices, how I would always seem to be able to get out of battles we were completely unprepared for without a single scratch?"

Tanglepath's frown deepened. It had seemed strange to him at the time, but he hadn't thought about it since. "Yes…?"

"There was a cat who was telling me what to do," Silvertail confessed. Tanglepath's face must have revealed his skepticism, because she quickly added, "I know it sounds crazy, but it isn't! I found out later that it was a she-cat named Leaf, and that she had died on the same night that I was born. She came to me in a dream on the night when you were attacked by Foxstar and her warriors. She… She told me that…" She met his eyes, green on green. "That she was your mother."

Tanglepath was literally taken aback. He took a staggering step backwards, away from her. "W-what? That's impossible! My mother was a rogue! She abandoned me!"

Silvertail shook her head. "No, Tanglepath. Leaf died protecting you. She and your father, Sky, were attacked by a group of cats they didn't know. Leaf and Sky tried their hardest to protect you and your brother, Frost, but they were both killed. Frost was killed as well, and the last thing Leaf did was drag you to NorthClan territory. She got away as quickly as she could and joined Sky and Frost where their bodies lay. Then she died."

Tanglepath stared at his sister with wide eyes. "That's not possible! Mistypool and Moonshadow said—"

"Mistypool and Moonshadow weren't there," Silvertail snapped. Her face was angry for a second, but she calmed herself quickly. "Sorry. I just… I know Leaf well. She came to me in dreams quite a few times. She led me to a kittypet that she'd known. He told me about how much she and Sky loved each other, and how much they loved you and Frost. When my kits were born, I was shocked when I saw Leafpaw. She looked exactly like Leaf did, right down to the eyes." She laughed for a moment. "And Leaf looked exactly like you."

"I…" Tanglepath was stunned. He turned away, his head reeling. He could barely put together enough words to make a sentence. "I need to… I should…"

Silvertail's eyes flashed with concern. "Tanglepath? What's wrong?"

He shook it away. "I'm fine," he told her quickly. "I need to catch up to Shadefoot and Brownpaw. They'll be halfway done with the patrol by now." He stepped forward, ignoring the fact that he'd crossed the border, and pressed his nose to Silvertail's. "I'll miss you," he murmured.

Sadness crossed her face. "I'll miss you, too," she mumbled. "Let's try not to go too long without talking again, okay?"

Tanglepath flashed her a smile. "Don't worry. I'll try to see you at the Gathering."

"Okay." She stepped back, and there was an intense sadness in her eyes. "I love you, Tanglepath."

His heart twisted. It had been so long since he and his sister had been close like this. For so long, his only confidant had been Wishsong. "I love you, too, Silvertail." He felt the pain like a sharp dagger in his chest. "I have to go."

And with that, he turned and dashed off into the forest.

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**A/N: Next chapter... Drama. Lots of it. And there will be blood...**

**On that note, don't forget to leave me a review and let me know what you think! I love hearing what you guys have to say, and it really encourages me to keep working. Hope you're all enjoying the start of your summer! See you next week. :)**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	15. Chapter 14: Friend or Foe

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys! I was at Busch Gardens on Friday and had chores to do afterwards, and I ended up running out of time and couldn't post this. And then yesterday, I was at MetroCon from 10 am to 9 pm, and twelve hours of con = dead Crazy Girl. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter despite its lateness. ;D**

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**Chapter 14: Friend or Foe**

"From this day forward, you will be known as Brownclaw. SkyClan honors your loyalty and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of AmberClan."

Tanglepath's heart swelled with pride as he watched his apprentice bend his head to lick Smallstar's shoulder respectfully. _Former_ apprentice, that is, he corrected himself. Brownpaw was no longer an apprentice. He was Brown_claw_ now, as he was reminded by the chants of the warriors around him.

"Brownclaw! Brownclaw!" Surprisingly enough, Fishfin and Sweetstream, the two youngest warriors and Brownclaw's former denmates, were the ones to lead the cheer. Though they had never been very good friends of Tanglepath's apprentice, they seemed welcoming enough now as Brownclaw stepped back.

A few of the warriors stood up to return to the rest of their duties, but Smallstar let out a yowl to silence them and call them back. Tanglepath frowned and shot a glance over at Hawkwing, hoping that she might know what was going on, but the AmberClan deputy looked just as confused as he was. Smallstar hadn't mentioned saying anything else after the ceremony when he'd agreed to make Brownclaw a warrior.

"What's going on?" Wishsong asked from next to him, frowning as well. She glanced over at him, obviously expecting him to have an answer. He was a bit surprised that she thought he would. He was hardly Hawkwing or Smallstar's closest friend.

He shook his head. "I don't know."

Smallstar leapt back to the top of the stump from which he addressed the Clan. "Cats of AmberClan!" he yowled. "For too long, we have suffered the prey-stealing of NorthClan cats who can't seem to learn that our territory is _our_ territory!"

"It's about time he said something about this," muttered Leafpelt. Tanglepath saw Lightjay shoot her a glance before looking over to meet Tanglepath's gaze solemnly.

"Are we going to fight them?" demanded Cougarfur. His pale blue eyes were alive with the prospect of a battle. Tanglepath noticed that quite a few of the other AmberClan warriors were shifting with anticipation, as well.

"Of course no—" Hawkwing started, swishing her tail angrily, but Smallstar cut her off.

"Yes!" he declared, his voice rising on the single word. "We are going to prove to that NorthClan scum that they can't simply waltz onto our territory, take what they want, and leave without any consequences! AmberClan is not an innocent little kittypet that will roll over and show its belly fur! We will destroy them!"

"Yes! We'll crush them!" The cry came from Hawkpool, who paced back and forth, his whole body bristling as if his enemy was standing right in front of him.

"Let's drive them out!" called Bluerain. She stood up, digging her claws into the ground beneath her paws.

"We can't fight them!" gasped Wishsong from next to Tanglepath. He felt his heart beating frantically in his chest. He couldn't fight his friends and family! What if Stripefur or Moonshadow was there? A horrible thought made him gasp quietly. What if he had to fight Smokefoot or Silvertail? Could he do it?

"We have to stop this," he whispered. "There must be something we can do."

Apparently, Shadefoot'd had the same idea, because he quickly shouted, "There must be some other way. We haven't even tried speaking with Stormstar in private about the issue. Maybe there's more to it than what we've seen."

"Like what?" Smallstar demanded, turning to the young gray-furred warrior. "Do you have some other idea as to how to deal with it? Do you honestly think that Stormstar will listen to what we have to say?"

"Stormstar's not unreasonable!" Wishsong called. Tanglepath could hear the fear in her voice, but he doubted any other cat would notice it unless they knew her well. "He may listen! We have to try!"

"No." Smallstar's tone made it clear that his decision was final. "We fight. We will leave at nightfall. One group of warriors will wait at the border for a patrol to come, and another will hide until the battle starts. Hawkwing, pick the warriors that will go."

Tanglepath saw the desperate look in the deputy's eyes, but there was nothing she could do. She only dipped her head to Smallstar, who turned and hurried toward his den, and then turned to face the crowd of warriors.

"All right," she said, her voice lower than usual. "Everyone quiet down so I can decide." She ran her eyes over the Clan, and finally said, "I will lead the group that waits at the border. I'll take Lightjay, Sweestream, Leafmoon, and Mossfur." All three cats that she named were ones that hadn't spoken up during Smallstar's announcement, Tanglepath noticed.

Hawkwing scanned the group for a moment longer before saying, "The second group will be led by Tanglepath. Take Wishsong, Shadefoot, Leafpelt, and Cougarfur with you." Tanglepath was startled that she had chosen him to lead the other group. She paused a moment. "I'll take Brownclaw, as well."

"What about his vigil?" protested Frozenfoot, one of the elders. "We can't break the warrior code simply for some battle!"

"He'll hold his vigil tomorrow night," Hawkwing decided. "We need him to fight. Bluerain, Hawkpool, Jaywind, and Fishfin, stay behind and guard the camp."

* * *

Nightfall came far too fast. As the sun began to dip behind the horizon, Tanglepath paced anxiously just by the camp entrance. Wishsong and Shadefoot watched silently, and Leafpelt and Cougarfur bounded up to join them. Finally, Hawkwing came up with her group.

"Where's Smallstar?" Cougarfur demanded of the deputy.

"He won't be taking part in this battle," Hawkwing informed him curtly. "He's not feeling up to it." She glanced over at Tanglepath and twitched her tail in the slightest movement that indicated that he should walk with her.

As they left the camp, Hawkwing murmured in his ear, "Smallstar had a panic attack when I went to tell him that we were leaving. Eaglefur's with him now, but he wasn't doing well when I left."

Tanglepath's eyes widened. "Will he be okay?"

"That's what Eaglefur said." Hawkwing sighed. "It's only going to get worse. His mind's betraying him."

Anxiety clawed at Tanglepath's belly as he followed Hawkwing through the forest. Eventually, he and his group dropped back to hide. He stayed within eyesight of Hawkwing, but made sure that he was carefully hidden in a holly bush. Thorns pricked his pelt, but he ignored the discomfort except for a slight shift. Hawkwing settled down within a few foxlengths of the NorthClan border, climbing up into a tree with her warriors spreading out around her in the branches.

The forest was silent as they waited for the NorthClan cats to arrive. Tanglepath's stomach twisted as he thought of what he would have to do. He felt a tail tip touch his shoulder, and he turned his head sharply to see Wishsong crouched next to him in the bush, sympathy in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, reached forward to touch her nose to his shoulder. "I wish I could make it so that you didn't have to do this."

Tanglepath closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and meeting his mate's eyes. "I know," he mumbled, his voice raspy. "I… I'm afraid that Silvertail or Smokefoot will be there. I couldn't fight them. It would be like… You might as well kill me now." He turned his head away stiffly, wishing the conversation—the whole battle—could just be over.

"I know how you feel," Wishsong murmured. "I couldn't fight Coalfur." She drew her tongue over his fur in a long, slow lap. "Don't worry. Everything will turn out all right."

Tanglepath wished he could have her conviction. Something told him that these battles would only lead to unnecessary death and suffering. Some cat would pay for the AmberClan leader's mistake with their life, and knew that he would feel the pain of a lost Clanmate regardless of whether that warrior was AmberClan or NorthClan. He could only pray that it wouldn't be someone he cared about—Wishsong, Shadefoot, Hawkwing, Lightjay… Silvertail, Smokefoot, Stripefur, Stormstar…

He drew in a long, slow breath, and then let it out as quietly as he could. Suddenly, his ears pricked forward. He'd thought that he'd heard a voice reaching forward from the trees on the other side of the border.

"I smell AmberClan!" came a young voice. Tanglepath closed his eyes once more. That voice could only belong to an apprentice. Was he going to have to fight one of his nieces or nephews?

"Good job, Cloudpaw," praised the voice of Stripefur. "That's right. The AmberClan border is just ahead. It's likely that a patrol just passed by since the scent is so fresh."

"Nightpaw, what else do you smell?" asked a third voice. Tanglepath's heart sank. He'd known that voice since he'd opened his eyes in the nursery, lying in a nest of feathers and moss and suckling from Mistypool's belly. It was Smokefoot.

"Rabbit, freshly killed," reported the last voice. "Stormstar's hunting patrol must have just passed through. I can smell Blackpaw and Topazfur."

There was a grunt of agreement, and then the four cats came into sight. Stripefur was in the lead with a small white she-cat at his side. Cloudpaw, Tanglepath realized, his anxiety growing. His sister's daughter. His _niece_.

Smokefoot was just behind the NorthClan deputy, and a gray she-cat with black paws, nearly fully grown, padded out next to him. Tanglepath assumed that this was Nightpaw. He'd seen her at Gatherings a couple times, but he'd never had a chance to speak with the NorthClan apprentice.

Hawkwing suddenly leapt down from her hiding place, her ice blue eyes flashing in the moonlight. "Greetings, Stripefur." She greeted the NorthClan deputy formally, dipping her head to him.

Looking puzzled but unwilling to admit it, Stripefur dipped his head in return. "Greetings, Hawkwing. What brings you to our border at this late hour?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Stripefur." Hawkwing's voice was cold, but Tanglepath could tell from the tension in her body that she was anything but happy that she had to do this. "It seems a little late for a NorthClan border patrol to be out."

"Isn't that what you're doing?" Stripefur shot back, frowning.

Hawkwing shook her head. "No, Stripefur. This is more than just a simple patrol." With a swish of her tail that was clearly a signal, Lightjay, Sweestream, Leafmoon, and Mossfur dropped to the ground, landing easily.

Stripefur narrowed his eyes. "What is this, Hawkwing? A battle? If so, you don't stand a chance. Stormstar and his patrol of five warriors are nearby. If they hear a battle, they'll come running, and AmberClan will be left to lick their wounds by the time we're done with you. Nine on five is hardly fair to you." Next to him, Cloudpaw let out a hiss of agreement, her claws sliding out.

Suddenly, the wind changed. Tanglepath hissed quietly to himself in frustration, and he saw Smokefoot's jaws part slightly out of habit, tasting the air for any new scents. Tanglepath noticed the slightest widening of his brother's eyes and cursed under his breath. Smokefoot had caught his scent.

"Stripefur—" Smokefoot began, but Hawkwing cut him off.

"Don't be so quick to declare victory, Stripefur," she warned him. "Your patrol doesn't stand a chance against my warriors, and if worst comes to worst and we must fight Stormstar as well, then there will be no problem." She flicked her tail twice, and Tanglepath realized that it must be the signal for his patrol to come out of hiding. He slunk out of the holly bush with his patrol just behind him.

Smokefoot's eyes widened, desperation filling his eyes as he took a reflexive step backwards. "No…" Tanglepath heard him whisper faintly as saw his adopted brother leading the patrol.

"Do you still wish to fight, Stripefur?" Hawkwing asked, narrowing her eyes at the NorthClan deputy.

Stripefur hissed. "NorthClan will never admit defeat. Not until the last of our warriors is dead."

"Then so be it," said Hawkwing solemnly. "AmberClan, attack!"

The AmberClan cats rushed forward. Tanglepath pushed away his discomfort at having to fight and threw his body forward. He collided in midair with a NorthClan cat. They fell to the forest floor, scrabbling for dominance. Tanglepath ended up on the top, and he realized with a jolt of relief that it was Nightpaw. Thank SkyClan he wasn't fighting Smokefoot!

A moment later, though, a head butted into his side and he was thrown away from the apprentice. Scrambling to his paws, Tanglepath found himself confronted with a panting, angry Smokefoot. "Don't you dare lay a paw on her!" snarled the dark gray tom. "I don't care if you're my brother or not, if you harm her, I'll rip you to shreds!"

Tanglepath was taken aback by his brother's anger, but he didn't have time to react because Sweetstream came out of nowhere and tackled the NorthClan warrior.

After that, all was chaos.

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh... This can't end well. The next chapter is so long that I had to split it into two. So the next chapter will be Sister of Mine, Part 1: The Mistake. Take a look at my profile for the sneak peek! See you guys on Friday. Hope you're enjoying your Fathers' Day!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	16. Chapter 15: Sister of Mine, Part 1

**Circle of Life: Book 3: The Last Battle**

**A/N: So sorry about the long wait! I left last Thursday to go on a ten-day trip, and I was planning to post this chapter (and leave you guys with a cliffie ;D) on Wednesday, but I couldn't, so here's the much belated chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 15: Sister of Mine, Part One: The Mistake**

"I can't believe you're saying this!" Silvertail's whole body shook with anger. "How could you possibly blame Tanglepath for any of this? It isn't his fault!"

"We're his Clanmates!" spat Shadowleaf. "He attacked Nightpaw! You saw him! He was fighting with Smokefoot! He had Stormstar pinned!"

"He was doing what he had been told to do!" Silvertail snapped. "He's an AmberClan warrior now, he can't just ignore Smallstar's orders!"

"Oh, so that excuses the fact that he was about to rip out Stormstar's throat?' Shadowleaf demanded. He stepped forward so that he and Silvertail were only a few pawsteps apart. She could see the anger and betrayal that the battle with AmberClan had caused. Tanglepath's involvement had only made it worse.

"That's enough!" Stripefur thrust himself between the two, glaring back and forth. "We've had enough fighting for now! That battle happened nearly a week ago! We don't need to bring this up again." He moved on then, his tail twitching furiously. The battle had put an extra strain on the whole Clan. Few cats had thought that his argument would actually come to fighting, but now…

Silvertail looked back at Shadowleaf, only to see him stalking away. Nearby, Rainpaw and Leafpaw watched silently. Neither one said a word to their father as he passed them.

* * *

"Why are we back?" hissed Cougarfur, irritably digging his claws into the ground as he shot angry glares in Hawkwing's direction. "This is mousebrained. NorthClan's going to have us chasing our tails back to camp. Again. Why do we even bother?"

"Quiet!" snapped Hawkwing, glaring right back at the pale brown tom. "You know that this wasn't my decision. It was Smallstar's, and it's no place of yours to be criticizing what he decides to do."

Tanglepath couldn't help shifting uncomfortably where he was positioned in his branch up above the arguing warriors. He could hear the other warriors shifting below. Smallstar had demanded that he be up in the tree, and Hawkwing, out of fear for their leader, had assigned Tanglepath to stay with him up there, being the best climber since he was from NorthClan. Next to him, Smallstar let out a grunt and muttered to himself, "Stupid, stupid, mousebrained… Should've come by myself…"

A flash of worry coursed through Tanglepath. The AmberClan leader had insisted on coming to the battle this time, despite his breakdown before the last one. Tanglepath still had the wounds from that battle nearly a week ago—they still hadn't healed, despite Eaglefur and Speckledfur's best attempts at keeping a poultice in place.

Suddenly, one of Smallstar's paws slipped out from under him and he dangled precariously from the branch, clinging to it with his other three paws. Tanglepath lashed out and dragged him back as carefully as he could with his teeth. The AmberClan leader was thoroughly spooked, Tanglepath could tell, but he shook it off and went back to muttering to himself.

Tanglepath swallowed hard and leaned back, managing to carefully keep his footing on the thin branch. The sound of a snapping twig caught his attention as voices floated to the AmberClan battle patrol on the breeze.

"All right, what do you do when you reach the border with another Clan?" Tanglepath's heart twisted in a way that had become very familiar to him. It was Moonshadow.

"Look for the other Clan's scent markers!" declared a second voice, a tom. "So that you don't pass into what they consider to be their territory."

"And then look for our scent marks," added a third voice, this one a she-cat. "That way we can make sure that the other Clan put their scent markers where they belong."

"Good job, Breezepaw, Leafpaw," praised one more voice. Tanglepath squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could just turn tail and run back to camp. Mistypool, his mother, was out there, too.

"All right, then. Breezepaw," Moonshadow said, "what can you smell?"

There was a pause, and then, "Sparrow, NorthClan scent markers… And AmberClan!"

Moonshadow purred in amusement, and Tanglepath saw him appear out of the undergrowth with a young black tom right next to him. "That's not exactly a surprise, Breezepaw. This _is_ the AmberClan border, after all."

"But it's fresh!" Breezepaw insisted as Mistypool and a small tabby she-cat padded out as well. Leafpaw, Tanglepath guessed. "It's as if they were just here!"

"Or they still are," added a darker voice. A moment later, Smokefoot stepped out of the undergrowth. Tanglepath fought the urge to run away. They'd only heard the four voices, so he hadn't thought that there would be more than that.

Obviously, he was wrong, since a black she-cat followed him, and behind them was one more mentor-apprentice pair—Shadowleaf and Acornpaw.

"Breezepaw's right," Smokefoot confirmed. "I don't know about you two, but to me it smells like there are AmberClan cats nearby."

Suddenly, without any sort of warning, Smallstar dropped out of the tree. Tanglepath's eyes widened, and he tried, failingly, to grab the AmberClan leader before he plummeted to what would surely be his death, but his jaws closed on open air. "Smallstar, no!" he whispered desperately.

Moonshadow jerked back in surprise as Smallstar landed on the ground. "S-Smallstar!" he stammered in shock. "What are you doing here?"

The black-and-white tom bared his teeth in a snarl. "AmberClan has been under your oppression for far too long, NorthClan scum! Don't think that any of you will escape this alive!"

Moonshadow's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Smallstar, don't make foolish decisions. You may be a Clan leader, but there's only one of you and eight of us."

"You think I am so mousebrained as to come alone?" Smallstar laughed aloud. "AmberClan, leave your hiding places, and let's show these mange-ridden excuses for warriors what we're made of!"

The AmberClan warriors surged forward, joining their leader at the NorthClan border. Tanglepath dropped from the tree branch and quickly joined Hawkwing, Wishsong, and the rest of their group at the front, surrounding Smallstar.

The she-cat with Smokefoot, probably Nightpaw, Tanglepath reasoned, took a step back. "There're so many!" she whispered. Smokefoot rested his tail comfortingly over her shoulders and gave her a look so full of compassion that Tanglepath had to wonder if there was something more there.

"Stormstar and a patrol of our warriors are not far away," Moonshadow warned Smallstar. "You would be an idiot to attack right now."

Tanglepath winced. Attacking Smallstar like that was the worst decision Moonshadow could hope to make right now. The AmberClan leader snarled in fury. "You have just made the worst mistake of your life, Moonshadow! AmberClan, attack!"

The adrenaline rush through the Clan had Tanglepath leaping forward with the rest of them, barely paying any attention as the other warriors clashed with the NorthClan ones. Tanglepath found his teeth closing on the air only mouselengths away from Smokefoot's face.

He reeled back in shock, but Smokefoot didn't seem to notice. "Traitor!" he hissed. "You left us in NorthClan, and now you're fighting with us? Do you have any idea what this has done to Silvertail?"

Tanglepath flinched. "Smokefoot, I—"

"Don't even bother with your words," his brother snapped. "You mean nothing to me anymore. Unless you can prove your innocence somehow, you're not even my brother!"

"Smokefoot, you don't mean that!" Tanglepath exclaimed desperately, taking another step backwards. "Please, we're brothers!"

"Not anymore." And then Smokefoot leapt forward. For a moment, they almost could have been in the training hollow in NorthClan territory. For a moment, they were practicing the fighting moves that Sunstripe and Duskflame had taught them. But then the moonlight shone on Smokefoot's unsheathed claws, and the memory vanished as quickly as it had come.

Tanglepath just managed to dodge out of the way. Smokefoot's claws narrowly missed his side, and Tanglepath knew he couldn't fight back. He would have to be on the defense, not offence, if he hoped to get away from this fight without injuring either of them.

Then, suddenly, the world around him jumped and he had Smokefoot pinned beneath him. His eyes widened in shock. How had this happened?

Something butted into his side, a furious yowling rolling over his ears as he was thrown off his brother. "Stay away from him!" Tanglepath scrambled to his paws to see Nightpaw helping her mentor get up.

Tanglepath backed away. A small trickle of blood ran down from a cut over his eye, clouding his vision, and his shoulder stung where he had been injured by Foxstar all those moons ago. He whipped around and searched for the rest of his group of friends. He saw Lightjay fighting side by side with Leafpelt. Wishsong ducked under a blow from Mistypool, and Shadefoot was grappling with Breezepaw. His heart skipped a beat. Where was Hawkwing?

A moment later, he spotted her. She was edging her way around the fighting and approaching Smallstar, who was fighting viciously with some cat that Tanglepath couldn't see. Relieved that the whole group was safe, Tanglepath turned back to the fighting.

Time seemed to pass without him noticing it. He eventually found himself rolling over and over with Shadowleaf. Snarls filled his ears, and the sound of hissing and yowling of the other cats fighting reached him from all around. For the briefest of moments, he closed his eyes.

All sound stopped. The fighting ceased, and Tanglepath found his muscles frozen. He opened his eyes and his vision slipped past Shadowleaf, over his shoulder, to see a light tabby she-cat with green eyes watching him.

"Dawnfire…" The name barely escaped his mouth.

"You must end this, Tanglepath," the former NorthClan deputy told him ominously. "If this continues, one cat will pay the ultimate price for the fighting."

"What does that mean?" Tanglepath whispered. "Will someone die? Who is it?"

"Stop the fighting, Tanglepath," Dawnfire repeated. Slowly, she began to fade. Tanglepath blinked, and the motion started again. He and Shadowleaf rolled a few more times until, finally, they stopped and the black tom pressed him into the spongy ground beneath them.

"How could you betray us like this?" Shadowleaf demanded. His voice was raspy and harsh. There was a deep gash in his side, and Tanglepath could tell he was having trouble breathing. Worry for his old friend sparked inside his belly. It was bad enough having to look at his sister's mate's horribly scarred face. Would Shadowleaf be the one to die? he wondered.

Then, suddenly, a scream of fear pierced the crowd. Every warrior stopped moving. Tanglepath whipped his head around to the side and peered through the warriors. He could see Smallstar standing over a bundle of fur, his paws and muzzle stained with blood. He snarled, backing away from the small bundle.

A familiar voice, _Silvertail's_ voice, rose over the crowd in a horrible wail of despair.

* * *

**A/N: MUHAHAHA. Enjoy your cliffhanger. :D**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy girl**


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